xt^xX-»/y 


HISTORY 


OF    THE 


Fifty-second  Regiment 

Massachusetts  Volunteers 


BY   THE   CHAPLAIN 


J.    F.    MOORS 

M 


BOSTON 
PRESS  OF  GEORGE  H.  ELLIS,  141  FRANKLIN  STREET 


>  5 


COPYRIGHT 

BY    J.    F.    MOORS 

1393 


TO   THE   MEMBERS   OF   THE    52D   REGIMENT. 


/^*  RATEFUL  for  many  acts  of  kindness  extended  to  me,  it 
gives  me  great  pleasure  to  put  on  record  some  of  the 
incidents  of  our  brief  but  eventful  campaign  in  Louisiana. 
I  hope  you  will  receive  this  in  the  spirit  of  charity  and  good 
will  which  has  marked  all  your  intercourse  with  the  chaplain, 

J.  F.  M. 


Ax  the  annual  reunion  of  the  52d  Regiment,  held  at 
Florence,  Mass.,  Aug.  14,  1891,  a  committee  was  chosen 
to  consider  the  matter  of  the  history  of  the  regiment. 
The  committee  consisted  of  these  comrades :  - 

Company  A. —  CHAPLAIN   MOORS. 
B.—  A.   A.    SMITH. 
C.—  H.    S.    GERE. 
D.—  HENRY   NYE. 
E.—  EDWIN   BAKER. 
F.—  LIEUT.  STEARNS. 
G.—  J.   L.   DELANO. 
&.—  H.   C.    COMINS. 
/.— H.   A.    BISBEE. 
A'.— C.    K.    MORTON. 

The  committee  organized  by  choosing  J.  B.  Whitmore 
chairman.  At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  committee, 
held  at  Northampton  Jan.  13,  1892,  it  was  voted  that  we 
publish  a  history  of  the  regiment,  and  that  it  contain 

(a)  The  addresses  given  by  Col.   Greenleaf. 

(b)  A    complete    roster    of    the    regiment,    which    shall 
include    all  who  died  in  the  service  and  also  all  who  have 
died  since  they  were  mustered  out. 

(c)  Brief  personal   sketches  of   all    members  of    the  regi 
ment. 

(d)  Portraits  of  Col.  Greenleaf  and   Chaplain   Moors. 


6  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

(e)  That  Chaplain  Moors  be  requested  to  arrange  the 
material  and  prepare  the  book  for  publication. 

(/)  A  sub-committee  was  appointed  of  one  from  each 
company  to  secure  the  facts  for  the  personal  sketches, 
which  they  have  done  according  to  the  best  of  their  ability, 
though  in  many  cases  they  have  been  unable  to  secure  the 
returns. 

J.  B.  WHITMORE. 


CONTENTS. 


I.    ORGANIZATION  AND  CAMP  MILLER, 9 

II.    THE  "ILLINOIS," 16 

III.  BATON  ROUGE, 29 

IV.  BATON  ROUGE,  WITH   AN   ACCOUNT   OF   THE  PLAQUE- 

MINE  EXPEDITION,  * 43 

V.    BATON  ROUGE, 61 

VI.    THE  MARCH  TO  PORT  HUDSON, 68 

VII.    MARCH  BACK  FROM  PORT  HUDSON, 81 

VIII.    THE  COTTON  RAID, 91 

IX.     BATON  ROUGE  TO  BRASHEAR  CITY, 98 

X.     UP  THE  TECHE. —  BRASHEAR  CITY  TO   INDIAN   RIDGE 

OR  IRISH  BEND, in 

XI.    UP  THE  TECHE. —  INDIAN  RIDGE  TO  OPELOUSAS,    .    .  121 

XII.    OPELOUSAS  TO  BARRE'S  LANDING, 129 

XIII.  DOWN  THE  TECHE, 140 

XIV.  LETTERS  FROM  NEW  ORLEANS, 147 

XV.     NEW  IBERIA, 153 

XVI.     PORT  HUDSON  AND  CLINTON, 159 

XVII.    BEFORE  PORT  HUDSON,  AND  THE   ASSAULT  ON  THE 

I4TH  OF  JUNE, 164 

XVIII.    PORT  HUDSON, 177 

XIX.    THE  SURRENDER  OF  PORT  HUDSON, 186 

XX.    COL.  GREENLEAF'S  ACCOUNT  OF  A  FORAGING  EXPEDI 
TION  TO  JACKSON  CROSS-ROADS, 193 

XXI.    WITHIN  PORT  HUDSON  AND  THE  JOURNEY  HOME,  .    .  201 
ROSTER  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 
NOTES. 


HISTORY  OF  THE   ?2D   REGIMENT  MASSA 
CHUSETTS  VOLUNTEERS. 


I. 

ORGANIZATION    AND    CAMP    MILLER. 
[GREENFIELD  TO  NEW  YORK,  SEPT.  13  TO  DEC.  20,  1862.] 

September,  1862. —  The  war  was  dragging  slowly,  wearisomely 
on,  and  a  half-year  had  passed  since  the  stars  and  stripes  had 
been  assailed  by  rebellious  foes  in  the  harbor  of  Charleston.  S.C., 
a  year  and  two  months  since  the  disastrous  defeat  of  the  Union 
Army  at  Bull  Run.  The  first  impulse  of  enthusiasm  resulting 
from  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter  in  April,  1861,  had  carried  us 
hopefully  through  the  first  campaign,  which  ended  in  disaster  and 
shame  in  June,  1861.  Then  came  the  real  hour  of  trial.  This 
country  never  saw  so  dark  a  week,  as  that  which  followed  that  dis 
grace.  "  Are  our  men  cowards  when  danger  is  to  be  faced  ? "  was 
asked.  "Will  the  North  give  up  in  despair,  and  yield  principle  and 
honor  ? "  "  No,"  was  the  emphatic  reply.  "  We  know  we  are  right, 
and  we  will  prevail."  Armies  melted  away  like  dew  before  the  sun, 
but  new  ones  sprung  up  to  take  their  places.  Fifty  thousand  failed 
in  June,  1861.  Two  hundred  thousand  are  in  camp  in  December 
of  that  year.  Disaster  followed  next  year  on  the  peninsula  ;  but  the 
strength  and  courage  of  the  loyal  North  had  not  been  exhausted, 
and  in  the  public  mind  the  determination  was  stronger  than  ever 
to  put  down  the  rebellion  and  maintain,  at  all  hazards,  the  unity 
of  the  nation. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  August,  1862,  an  order  was  issued  from 
the  War  Department  for  a  draft  of  three  hundred  thousand 
troops,  to  serve  nine  months ;  but  the  people  and  the  State  offi 
cials  were  opposed  to  a  draft,  and  it  was  not  resorted  to,  and  the 
call  was  for  three  hundred  thousand  volunteers.  The  quota  de 
manded  of  Massachusetts  under  this  call  was  nineteen  thousand 
and  ninety  men.  The  great  number  of  men  already  in  the  ser 
vice  made  it  more  difficult  to  secure  the  additional  nineteen  thou- 


10  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

sand  and  ninety.  The  demand  for  so  large  a  force  made  this  one 
of  the  hardest  and  most  anxious  years  of  the  war,  alike  to  the 
State  and  national  government.  But  the  work  of  recruiting  was 
entered  upon  with  great  alacrity  and  enthusiasm.  It  was  ordered 
that  Hampshire  and  Franklin  Counties  should  raise  a  regiment, 
to  be  designated  the  Fifty-second.  It  is  the  story  of  this  regi 
ment  I  am  to  try  to  tell  in  these  pages.  Enthusiastic  war  meet 
ings  were  held  in  every  town  and  village  of  these  two  counties. 
Every  device  was  used  to  stir  to  greater  heat  the  already  awakened 
flame  of  loyalty  and  patriotism.  We  shared  the  universal  spirit  of 
the  loyal  North.  The  nation  was  fully  aroused.  Defeat  at  first 
had  been  needed  to  accomplish  this  result.  No  one  thought  of 
giving  up,  but  joined  in  the  exultant  shout,  "We  are  coming, 
Father  Abraham,  three  hundred  thousand  more." 

I  hope  .1  may  be  able  to  give  the  outlines,  at  least,  of  a  picture 
of  army  life ;  for,  though  our  experience  was  not  a  long  one,  it 
was  varied.  We  saw  almost  every  variety  of  soldier's  life.  We 
had  an  experience  of  the  crowded  transport,  of  monotonous  camp 
life,  of  the  exhausting  march,  of  the  terrible  battle,  of  dishearten 
ing  defeat,  and  of  exulting  victory.  We  knew  what  it  was  to  have 
our  blood  thrill  at  the  sound  of  inspiring  music :  we  knew  what  it 
was  to  have  the  blood  chill  at  sights  of  mortal  agony.  We  saw  a 
portion  of  army  life  in  all  its  aspects,  except  as  prisoners  of  war. 
We  lost  but  two  men  as  prisoners,  and  one  of  them  reached  home 
before  the  rest  of  us :  the  other  was  never  heard  of  after  he  was 
captured. 

The  most  earnest  and  soul-stirring  appeals  were  made  to  the 
young  men  to  heed  this  call  of  their  country  in  this  hour  of  peril. 
The  appeal  was  to  their  pride,  their  love  of  adventure,  their  heroic 
desire  to  do  something  in  the  great  cause  to  which  so  many  thou 
sands  of  their  countrymen  had  given  their  lives.  The  most  gener 
ous  promises  were  made  to  the  young  men  on  condition  of  their 
enlisting.  They  should  have  all  the  places  of  profit  arid  honor 
their  fellow-citizens  could  furnish  if  they  returned  in  safety.  If 
the  fortunes  of  war  were  fatal,  the  public  would  watch  over  those 
dependent  on  them,  and  see  to  it  that  they  had  every  comfort  a 
grateful  people  could  bestow.  And  every  new  recruit  left  the 
war  meeting  loaded  with  bouquets  of  choice  flowers,  bestowed  by 
those  he  looked  upon  as  the  fairest  and  bravest  of  his  acquaint 
ance.  With  this  overflow  of  patriotic  zeal,  the  ranks  were 
speedily  filled,  and  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  September  the  regi- 


ORGANIZATION    AND    CAMP    MILLER  II 

ment  was  gathered  together  at  Greenfield,  with  James  L.  Hartwell 
as  Post  Commander,  and  a  camp  organized  as  Camp  Miller, 
named  in  honor  of  Major  Ozro  Miller,  of  the  roth  Regiment,  who 
had  been  killed  at  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  a  personal  friend  of 
Col.  Greenleaf. 

None  of  the  companies  had  received  their  full  quota  when  they 
entered  on  camp  life,  but  recruits  came  in  ;  and,  when  the  regiment 
was  mustered  and  took  the  oath  of  allegiance,  the  ranks  were 
nearly  full. 

Capt.  H.  S.  Greenleaf,  of  Shelburne  Falls,  Co.  E,  was  chosen 
colonel,  and  Lieut.  Richmond  was  promoted  to  the  vacant  place. 
Capt.  J.  J.  Storrs,  of  Amherst,  Co.  G,  was  chosen  lieutenant 
colonel.  Henry  Winn,  of  Shelburne  Falls,  was  elected  major. 
J.  M.  Decker,  formerly  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  loth  Massachu 
setts  Regiment,  became  adjutant ;  E.  C.  Clark,  of  Northampton, 
quartermaster;  Dr.  F.  A.  Sawyer,  of  Greenfield,  surgeon;  Dr. 
J.  H.  Richardson,  of  Chesterfield,  assistant  surgeon ;  Rev.  J.  F. 
Moors,  of  Greenfield,  chaplain  ;  Dr.  Henry  M.  Sabine,  of  Lenox, 
was  added  to  the  medical  staff  April  20,  1863  ;  Henry  M.  Whit 
ney,  of  Northampton,  sergeant  major;  Edward  A.  Whitney,  of 
Northampton,  quartermaster  sergeant ;  William  W.  Ward,  of 
Worthington,  commissary-sergeant ;  George  D.  Clark,  of  North 
ampton,  hospital  steward. 

The  ten  companies  were  officered  as  follows  :  — 

Co.  A. —  Alanson  B.  Long,  Greenfield,  captain ;  Eben  S.  Hurl- 
burt,  Bernardston,  ist  lieutenant;  Franklin  C.  Severence,  Green 
field,  2d  lieutenant;  W.  Scott  Keith,  Greenfield,  orderly  sergeant. 

This  company  mustered  95  men.  Of  this  number  Greenfield 
furnished  62  ;  Bernardston,  19  ;  Gill,  5  ;  Shelburne,  3  ;  Leyden  and 
Northfield,  2  each;  Hawley  and  New  Salem,  i  each.  Total,  95. 

7  died  in  service.     3  were  discharged  for  disability. 

Co.  B. —  Alvah  P.  Nelson,  Colrain,  captain  ;  Leonard  B.  Rice, 
Charlemont,  ist  lieutenant;  John  W.  Buddington,  Leyden,  2d 
lieutenant ;  Arthur  A.  Smith,  Colrain,  orderly  sergeant. 

This  company  mustered  94  men.  Of  these  Colrain  furnished 
41  ;  Charlemont,  20  ;  Heath,  9  ;  Leyden,  8  ;  Rowe,  7  ;  Monroe,  5  ; 
Halifax,  Vt.,  3  ;  Adams,  i.  Total,  94. 

Died  in  service,  14.     Discharged,  i. 

Co.  C. —  Mark  H.  Spaulding,  Northampton,  captain;  Edwin  C. 
Clark,  Northampton,  ist  lieutenant,  commissioned  quartermaster; 
John  R.  Hillman,  Northampton,  ist  lieutenant ;  Luther  A.  Clark, 


12  HISTORY   OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

Northampton,    2d    lieutenant ;    Henry    H.    Strong,    Northampton, 
orderly  sergeant. 

Mustered  95  men.  Of  these  Northampton  furnished  79  ;  East- 
hampton,  3  ;  Cummington,  3  ;  Williamsburg,  2  ;  Ware,  South  Deer- 
field,  Worthington,  Northfield,  Orange,  Conn.,  Goshen,  Westfield, 
and  Springfield,  i  each.  Total,  95. 

Died  in  service,  10.     Deserted,  2. 

Co.  D. —  Fred  M.  Patrick,  Conway,  captain  (resigned  Oct.  29, 
1862);  Horace  Hosford,  Conway,  captain;  Samuel  F.  Edwards, 
Deerfield,  ist  lieutenant;  Oliver  P.  Egerton,  Conway,  2d  lieuten 
ant;  Edward  J.  Hosmer,  Deerfield,  orderly  sergeant. 

The  company  mustered  96  men.  Of  these  Deerfield  furnished 
39;  Conway,  32  ;  Whately,  17;  Buckland,  Lynnfield,  South  Had- 
ley,  New  Salem,  Hawley,  Colrain,  Prescott,  Leverett,  i  each. 
Total,  96. 

Died  in  service,  16. 

Co.  E. —  Halbert  S.  Greenleaf,  Shelburne,  captain  (promoted 
colonel) ;  Josiah  A.  Richmond,  Shelburne,  captain  ;  Ansel  K.  Brad 
ford,  Plainfield,  ist  lieutenant;  Samuel  H.  Blackwell,  Waterville, 
Me.,  2d  lieutenant;  Samuel  A.  Little,  Buckland,  orderly  ser 
geant. 

Mustered  91  men.  Of  these  Shelburne  furnished  27  ;  Buckland, 
26;  Hawley,  17;  Ashfield,  10;  Charlemont,  2;  Plainfield,  Water 
ville,  Me.,  Cheshire,  Colrain,  Northampton,  Chesterfield,  i  each  ; 
Heath,  3.  Total,  91. 

Died  in  service,  10.     Discharged,  3. 

Co.  F. —  Lucian  H.  Stone,  Montague,  captain;  Alphonso  Ballou, 
Orange,  ist  lieutenant;  Marshall  S.  Stearns,  Northfield,  2d 
lieutenant ;  Samuel  H.  Crandall,  Shutesbury,  orderly  sergeant. 

Mustered  its  full  quota  of  100  men.  Of  these  Orange  furnished 
29;  Montague,  28;  Northfield,  22;  Leverett,  9;  Shutesbury,  7; 
Erving,  4;  Wendell,  i.  Total,  100. 

Died  in  service,  13.     Discharged,  2. 

Co.  G. —  Samuel  S.  Storrs,  Amherst,  captain  (promoted  lieu 
tenant  colonel) ;  George  L.  Bliss,  Northampton,  captain  ;  Justin  P. 
Kellogg,  Amherst,  ist  lieutenant;  Asa  A.  Spear,  Amherst,  2d 
lieutenant ;  James  W.  Stebbins,  Sunderland,  orderly  sergeant ; 
Edgar  J.  Pomeroy,  Sunderland,  orderly  sergeant  at  last. 

Mustered  86  men.  Of  these  Amherst  furnished  42  ;  Sunder 
land,  24;  Pelham,  n  ;  Leverett,  2;  Montague,  2;  Shutesbury, 
Wendell,  Conway,  Northampton,  Bernardston,  i  each.  Total,  86. 

Died  in  service,  8.     Discharged,  4. 


ORGANIZATION    AND   CAMP    MILLER  13 

Co.  H.— William  Perkins,  Hadley,  captain;  S.  Alonzo  Will 
iams,  South  Hadley,  ist  lieutenant;  Malcolm  Bridgman,  Granby, 
2d  lieutenant ;  H.  Weston  Smith,  South  Hadley,  orderly 
sergeant. 

Mustered  93  men.  Of  these  Hadley  furnished  37 ;  South 
Hadley,  32  ;  Granby,  16;  Holyoke,  2  ;  Hinsdale,  N.H.,  2  ;  Chico- 
pee,  Williamsburg,  Whately,  Burke,  N.Y.,  i  each.  Total,  93. 

Died  in  service,  12.     Deserted,  i. 

Co.  I. —  Charles  E.  Tileston,  Williamsburg,  captain;  Lucius 
C.  Taylor,  Chesterfield,  ist  lieutenant;  James  W.  Clark,  North 
ampton,  2d  lieutenant ;  Edward  'F.  Hamlin,  Northampton, 
orderly  sergeant. 

Numbered  90  men.  Of  these  Williamsburg  furnished  33  ;  Ches 
terfield,  19;  Cummington,  15;  Northampton,  10;  Greenwich,  6; 
Whately,  4 ;  Hawley,  Hatfield,  Goshen,  i  each.  Total,  90. 

Died  in  service,  8.     Discharged,  2. 

Co.  K. —  Edwin  C.  Bissell,  Westhampton,  captain;  Lewis 
Clapp,  Easthampton,  ist  lieutenant ;  Henry  P.  Billings,  Hat- 
field,  2d  lieutenant ;  Martin  L.  Williston,  Northampton,  orderly 
sergeant. 

Numbered  90  men.  Of  these  Easthampton  furnished  37  ; 
Hatfield,  24;  Southampton,  14;  Westhampton,  12;  Northamp 
ton,  Shutesbury,  Southboro,  i  each.  Total,  90. 

Died  in  service,  n.     Discharged,  3. 

ORDERS  FOR  SUNDAY,  NOVEMBER  16. 

Officer  of  the  Day,  CAPT.  NELSON. 
Officer  of  the  Guard,  LIEUT.  KELLOGG. 
Officer  of  the  Picket,  LIEUT.  WILLIAMS. 

To-morrow  being  the  Sabbath,  divine  service  will  be  held  on  the 
ground  at  two  o'clock.  Dress  parade  immediately  afterward. 

HEADQUARTERS,  CAMP  "MILLER," 

Special  order  )  Nov.  15,  1862. 

No.  21.       ] 

The  colonel  having  received  marching  orders  for  Wednesday 
morning,  the  19  of  Nov.,  1862,  commanders  of  companies  are 
ordered  to  have  their  companies  in  readiness  to  march  at  that 
time.  By  command, 

JAMES  L.  HARTWELL, 
LIEUT.  E.  C.  CLARK,  Commanding  Post. 

Acting  Post  Adjutant. 


14  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

But  few  of  the  men  or  officers  had  any  practical  knowledge  of 
military  affairs,  and  the  time  at  Camp  Miller  was  diligently  spent 
in  securing  the  requisite  information.  On  the  whole,  camp  life 
here  was  easy  and  pleasant,  though,  when  rain  or  a  snow-storm 
came,  and  the  tents  were  drenched  with  water,  there  was  not  a 
little  grumbling  at  the  hard  lot  the  men  thought  they  were  endur 
ing.  It  was  afterward,  when  they  encountered  the  real  hardships 
of  the  soldier's  life,  that  the  boys  looked  back  upon  Camp  Miller 
with  changed  feelings.  The  regiment  remained  at  Camp  Miller 
till  November  20,  and  in  a  cold  rain-storm  were  taken  by  rail  and 
steamboat  to  New  York. 

Of  life  at  Camp  Miller  not  much  is  to  be  said.  The  days  were 
spent  in  company  and  battalion  drill;  and  in  the  nights,  if  some  of 
the  farmers  in  the  neighborhood  lost  their  poultry  and  their  green 
corn,  it  was  no  more  than  could  be  expected. 

Instead  of  attempting  to  recall  the  experiences  of  nearly  thirty 
years  ago,  I  have  preferred  to  avail  myself  of  letters  written  at  the 
time  to  friends  at  home  and  journals  kept  from  day  to  day,  several 
of  which  have  been  placed  at  my  disposal.  As  far  as  possible  I 
want  "the  boys"  to  tell  their  own  story  in  their  own  way. 

I  make  here  some  extracts  from  the  journal  of  Charles  Church, 
Co.  H. 

"The  morning  of  September  30  was  a  momentous  event  in  our 
lives.  We  gathered  in  front  of  the  old  hotel  in  South  Hadley,  and 
nearly  the  whole  population  of  the  village  were  on  hand  to  bid  us 
good-by  and  God-speed.  We  were  supplied  with  plenty  of  food, 
huge  bouquets,  medicine,  writing  material,  and  many  other  things 
we  thought  necessary,  but  afterwards  found  superfluous.  Amid 
the  cheers,  tears,  and  good  wishes  of  the  assembled  crowd,  we 
climbed  into  the  big  wagon,  and  started  off.  We  knew  not  what 
was  before  us,  or  we  should  have  shown  some  feeling  not  becom 
ing  bold  soldier  boys.  But  we  yelled  for  all  we  were  worth, 
waved  our  hats  and  bouquets,  and  were  off  for  Northampton, 
where  we  took  the  cars  for  Greenfield.  Our  camp  was  known  as 
Camp  Miller,  in  honor  of  Major  Miller  of  the  loth  Massachusetts 
and  a  great  friend  of  our  colonel,  who  wore  the  sword  carried  by 
the  major  when  killed  at  Fair  Oaks. 

"  I  went  on  guard  the  next  day  after  our  arrival.  It  was  a 
comical  experience.  Coming  to  a  fellow  on  beat,  he  was  found 
with  his  musket  across  his  arm,  as  though  he  had  been  hunting. 
In  his  unengaged  hand  he  held  a  huge  turnip,  and,  as  he  passed 


ORGANIZATION    AND    CAMP    MILLER  15 

his  beat,  gnawed  away  at  his  turnip.  It  was  quite  a  distance  from 
the  place  where  the  turnip  grew,  but  he  communicated  his  order 
to  the  new  guard  who  had  come  to  relieve  him  in  this  way.  *  You 
wanter  walk  from  that  ere  stick  to  this  ere  one ;  and,  if  you 
are  hungry,  go  over  there  and  get  a  turnip.'  We  experienced 
here  our  first  snow-storm.  The  snow  fell  eight  or  ten  inches,  but 
the  Greenfield  people  provided  stoves  for  every  tent." 

Daniel  W.  Lyman  writes  to  the  Northampton  Gazette,  Oct.  28, 
1862:  — 

"The  week  has  been  of  considerable  interest  at  Camp  Miller. 
The  uniforms  have  been  distributed,  and  the  men  are  quite  satis 
fied  with  their  new  suits  from  Uncle  Sam.  A  beautiful  banner  was 
presented  to  Co.  A,  in  behalf  of  the  ladies  of  Greenfield,  by  Miss 
Ella  Grinnell.  On  Sunday,  Capt.— that  is,  Rev. —  Mr.  Bissell, 
preached  in  the  Second  Congregational  Church.  On  Thursday  last, 
the  2oth,  we  broke  camp  at  Greenfield.  The  morning  dawned 
upon  us  with  a  cloudy  sky  and  a  drizzling  rain.  The  morning  was 
spent  in  packing,  and  at  2  P.M.  came  the  order  to  "fall  in."  The 
regiment  formed  into  line  and  marched  to  the  station  by  a  cir 
cuitous  route,  that  we  might  be  seen  by  the  good  people  of  that 
town.  The  great  crowd  assembled  to  see  us  depart." 

"  Camp  Miller,  November  20. —  The  day  was  rainy  and  unpleas 
ant  ;  but  precisely  at  a  quarter  to  three  the  regiment,  numbering 
930  men,  formed  a  line  with  their  knapsacks,  haversacks,  and  can 
teens  on,  when  the  adjutant  read  the  order  for  their  departure  for 
New  York.  Then  Col.  Greenleaf's  clear  and  manly  voice  gave 
the  word  'Attention,  battalion,  right  first  by  sections,  march!' 
And  under  the  escort  of  the  Greenfield  band  it  marched  to  the 
depot  and  passed  into  the  cars.  Thousands  of  people  thronged 
the  streets,  ladies  waving  their  handkerchiefs  and  the  soldiers 
cheering  them.  Thousands  were  gathered  about  the  station,  where 
the  regiment  remained  for  about  half  an  hour.  There  were  tender 
parting  scenes  during  the  time, —  mothers  parting  with  their  only 
sons,  wives  with  husbands,  and  sisters  with  brothers.  In  this  reg 
iment  the  very  flower  of  Franklin  and  Hampshire  Counties  have 
gone,  many  of  them,  to  find  their  graves  far  from  friends  and 
home,  but  all  filled  with  that  love  of  country  that  makes  them  will 
ing  to  risk  all  for  its  welfare." —  Greenfield  Gazette. 


II. 

THE    "ILLINOIS." 
[NEW  YORK,  NOVEMBER  20,  TO  BATON  ROUGE,  LA.,  DECEMBER  17,  1862.] 

If  "the  boys"  thought  they  were  playing  soldier,  and  were  off 
for  a  prolonged  picnic,  they  were  disabused  of  that  idea  when 
they  reached  New  York.  The  rain  fell  in  torrents  :  no  provision 
had  been  made  for  their  coming.  They  marched,  dirty  and  hungry, 
through  the  muddy  streets  to  the  Park,  and  toward  morning  are 
let  into  the  City  Hall  to  get  what  rest  they  can  on  the  stone  floor, 

—  at  least  they  are  out  of  the  rain  and  the  mud.     The  next  day 
they  march  eight  or  nine  miles  through  Broadway  and  Grand  Street 
over  the  ferry  into  Brooklyn  to  their  camp  on  the  old  Union  race 
track.     No  tents,  no  overcoats :  it  was  dreary  and  dismal  enough. 
The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  the  tents  came,  and  the  men  were 
busy  pitching    them   in  long  rows.     They  floor   them   with  rails 
from  the  fences  near  by,  and  carpet  them  with  straw  and  hay,  and 
in  spite  of  rain  and  cold,  raw  winds,  a  measure  of  comfort  is  at 
tained.     Thursday  was  Thanksgiving  Day,  and  a  strange  Thanks 
giving  it  was  to  us.     We  ought  to  have  had  a  religious  service,  but 
did  not  till  dress  parade,  when  the  chaplain,  arrayed  out  with  new 
clothes  and  sash,  read  the  Governor's  proclamation  and   offered 
prayer. 

"  In  New  York,  where  we  landed,  the  rain  had  ceased  to  fall ; 
but  it  was  a  cold  wind  and  a  hard  march  of  ten  miles.  Our  clothes 
were  wet,  weighed  double  what  they  ought  to  have  done,  and  we 
were  green  at  our  work.  When  we  arrived  at  the  Park  on  Long 
Island,  the  ground  was  frozen  solid,  no  tents  had  been  provided, 
and  we  had  to  sleep  on  the  ground  with  no  shelter  but  our 
blankets.  It  seemed  to  us  that  we  had  been  on  the  down  grade 
continually;  but  we  were  a  jolly  crowd,  and,  when  anything  unusual 
occurred,  some  one  would  shout,  '  Who  takes  the  next  bouquet  ? ' 

—  one  of  the  numerous  stock  phrases  used  at  recruiting. 

"  After  we  had  been  in  camp  long  enough  to  get  immensely 
hungry,  some  loads  of  cakes,  cookies,  and  pies,  were  driven  into 
camp.  The  boys  were  not  overloaded  with  money,  but  they  all 


THE 

took  a  notion  just  then  to  wearing  haversacks.  So  they  were 
filled  up  by  the  rear  of  the  wagons,  while  some  one  bartered  with 
the  driver  at  the  front.  A  good  deal  of  food  changed  hands  in 
that  way,  but  not  much  money.  It  is  sad,  no  doubt ;  but  hungry 
men  will  steal  when  food  is  within  their  reach." —  Church's  Journal. 

The  New  York  Mercury,  November  26,  pays  this  compliment  to 
the  52d  Regiment,  and  describes  the  interesting  scene  of  the 
presentation  of  a  flag  to  the  regiment:  — 

"This  regiment,  commanded  by  Col.  H.  S.  Greenleaf,  em 
barked  yesterday  on  board  the  steamer  *  Illinois,'  bound  south  on 
the  Banks  expedition.  It  had  been  remarked  that  during  their 
stay  in  the  city  none  have  been  found  intoxicated.  During  two 
days  and  nights  after  their  arrival  they  stood  in  the  mud  and  rain, 
marched  to  Union  course,  their  tents  not  having  arrived,  and  but 
few  words  of  complaint  were  uttered.  We  speak  for  this  regiment 
a  good  name  wherever  they  may  be  placed.  It  is  made  up  of  a 
splendid  body  of  men,  raised  principally  in  Franklin  and  Hamp 
shire  Counties.  On  Tuesday  last  the  regiment  was  presented 
with  a  magnificent  flag.  The  regiment  was  drawn  up  in  a  square, 
and  Col.  C.  K.  Hawks  made  the  presentation  speech,  of  which 
the  following  is  the  substance  :  — 

"'  Col.  Greenleaf,  Officers  and  Soldiers  of  the  52 d Regiment, —  It  is 
my  agreeable  duty,  as  it  is  my  pleasure,  to  present  to  you  in  trust 
a  stand  of  national  colors.  It  was  expected  that  our  distinguished 
fellow-statesman,  the  commanding  general  of  the  expedition,  Gen. 
N.  P.  Banks,  would  have  performed  this  agreeable  task;  but  his 
engagements  are  such  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  his  presence, 
and  I,  as  a  mutual  friend  of  the  donor  and  recipient,  have  under 
taken  it.  Would  that  I  possessed  the  language  to  express  in 
adequate  terms  the  sentiments  my  heart  would  utter !  .  .  .  The 
colors  bear  the  same  relation  to  the  soldier  as  honesty  and  integ 
rity  do  to  manhood.  It  is  the  guiding  star  to  victory.  When  in 
the  smoke  and  din  of  battle  the  voice  of  the  officer  is  drowned  in 
the  roar  of  artillery,  the  true  soldier  turns  his  eye  to  his  color, 
that  he  stray  not  too  far  from  it,  and,  while  it  floats,  is  conscious  of 
his  right  and  strength.  In  the  name  of  our  friend,  I  present  you 
with  this  banner,  the  emblem  of  our  country.  On  the  one  side,  a 
full  Union,  with  every  star  set  and  not  a  stripe  erased  ;  on  the  other, 
the  insignia  of  the  State  from  which  you  hail,  the  staff  composed 
of  the  bundle  of  rods  by  which  we  are  taught  to  read,  "  In  unity 
there  is  strength."  With  full  confidence  that  you  will  guard  and 


l8  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

protect  it,  and  return  it  with  its  honor  unsullied,  I  now  present  it 
to  you.  Take  it,  guard  it  as  you  would  the  honor  of  the  mother, 
wife,  or  friend  you  leave  behind.  Take  it,  and  with  it  the  prayers 
and  blessings  of  every  Union-loving  woman,  man,  and  friend  you 
leave.' 

"  Col.  Greenleaf  responded  as  follows  :  — 

" '  Accept,  sir,  my  sincere  and  heartfelt  thanks.  Language 
would  fail,  were  I  to  attempt  to  express  the  affection  I  bear  the 
star-spangled  banner  or  the  sorrow  I  feel  that  it  is  being  dis 
graced  and  trodden  under  the  feet  of  rebels  and  traitors.  I 
accept  the  gift  as  presented  not  for  myself  alone,  but  in  trust  as  a 
flattering  testimonial,  as  a  good  will  towards  the  52d  Regiment, 
which  I  have  the  honor  not  only  to  command,  but  in  this  instance 
to  represent.  Whether  we  shall  prove  as  worthy  of  this  valuable 
consideration  at  your  hands,  time  and  future  events  will  deter 
mine  ;  but  of  one  thing  you  may  be  assured,  that  it  will  be  our 
anxious  endeavor  so  to  act  in  the  work  that  is  before  us  that  neither 
you  nor  any  other  friend  shall  have  occasion  to  blush  at  the 
records  of  our  deeds.  We  go  forth  on  our  country's  call,  not  to 
make  for  ourselves  beds  of  roses,  but  to  give  battle  to  the  un 
natural  foes  of  our  country,  and  to  vindicate  with  our  lives  the 
loyalty  we  profess.  We  go  about  the  work  that  is  given  us  to  do, 
carrying  with  us  the  fondest  recollections  of  home  and  kindred  and 
friends.  Even  now,  as  we  recall  the  many  delights  and  associa 
tions  of  the  past,  our  dear  New  England  hills,  our  homes,  our 
wives,  our  children,  our  parents,  our  kindred,  and  linger  for  a 
moment  in  the  old  orchard,  in  the  meadows  by  the  brook  near 
the  old  well,  under  the  old  elm,  and  around  the  family  hearth 
stone,  forgetting  all  else,  we  exclaim  with  the  Irish  bard, — 

"  ' "  Long,  long  be  our  hearts  with  such  memories  filled, 
Like  the  vase  in  which  roses  have  once  been  distilled. 
You  may  break,  you  may  shatter  the  vase  if  you  will, 
But  the  scent  of  the  roses  will  hang  round  it  still." '  " 

Friday,  November  28. —  We  are  ordered  off,  but  shall  hardly  get 
aboard  ship  before  evening.  All  sorts  of  rumors  about  where  we 
are  going. 

On  Board  the  Steamer  "Illinois"  —  We  are  in  pretty  close 
quarters,  but  are  as  comfortable  as  can  be  expected  on  board 
a  vessel  with  1,200  men.  Lieut.  Edwin  C.  Clark,  of  Co.  C,  has 


THE  ''ILLINOIS"  19 

been  appointed  quartermaster.  I  sent  ashore  Sunday  morning 
more  than  five  hundred  letters. 

"  Saturday,  Nov.  29,  1862. —  The  bunks  for  privates  are  all 
below  the  main  deck,  and  after  this  fashion  :  the  floor  is  all  cov 
ered,  except  the  alley-ways  ;  then  a  tier  of  shelves  or  boards  put 
about  twenty  inches  above  them,  then  another  set  of  men,  then 
more  shelves  above  them,  and  so  on,  one  above  the  other,  all  in 
the  dark,  where  the  men  are  obliged  to  stay  most  of  their  time, 
and  not  allowed  on  the  upper  deck  and  only  in  one  part  of  the 
ship.  There  is  too  much  difference  between  officers  and  privates. 
The  bunks  are  so  near  each  other  we  cannot  sit  up  in  them.  Our 
rations  are  hard  bread  twice  a  day,  an  allowance  of  four  crackers 
to  a  meal.  Have  not  used  a  knife,  fork,  or  plate  since  I  left  Camp 
Miller." —  Corp.  Stow  elf  s  Journal. 

Dear  Judge  Mattoon, —  At  three  o'clock  on  Friday  we  formed 
into  line,  and  marched  to  Brooklyn.  No  time  for  supper.  We  were 
crowded  into  a  barge,  and  put  aboard  this  steamer  at  nine  o'clock. 
We  have  1,200  men  on  board,  stowed  away  like  cattle.  I  do  not 
know  the  terms  aboard  ship.  I  only  know  that  we  are  four  stories 
deep,  swarming  with  life.  My  time  is  very  busy  with  letters.  I 
sent  off  seven  hundred  the  day  before  yesterday  and  four  hundred 
yesterday. 

'•''Dec.  2,  1862. —  We  hauled  in  our  anchors,  and  steamed  out  of 
New  York  Harbor.  We  have  a  splendid  boat,  the  '  Illinois,'  but 
are  very  much  crowded.  It  was  a  novel  experience  to  most  of  us. 
No  land  in  sight,  and  we  knew  not  when  there  would  be.  The  sea 
became  very  rough,  and  multitudes  were  very  sick.  The  fact  is, 
most  of  us  were  dry-land  sailors,  though  some  had  crossed  the 
Connecticut  River  once  or  twice.  I  was  detailed  for  guard,  and 
ordered,  with  others,  to  report  to  the  adjutant  on  the  hurricane 
deck.  He  tried  to  form  us  into  line  for  what  we  came  to  know 
afterwards  very  well, —  namely,  guard  mounting ;  but,  every  time  the 
steamer  pitched  over  one  of  those  huge  waves,  away  forward  we  all 
went,  and  most  of  us  brought  up  lying  on  our  stomachs,  and,  when 
the  head  came  up,  we  went  rolling  and  staggering  back  like  drunken 
men.  The  adjutant  laughed  and  scolded  in  the  same  breath, 
although  I  think  he  enjoyed  the  situation.  At  last  he  cried  out, 
1  Well,  if  you  can't  stand  still,  sit  down  and  see  if  you  can  sit  still 
long  enough  to  be  counted.' 

"  Our  quarters  are  crowded,  food  was  poor,  somewhat  limited  in 
quantity :  the  condensers  were  not  large  enough  for  such  a  multi- 


20  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

tude.  So  our  tea  and  coffee  were  well  flavored  with  salt  water 
and  grease.  As  we  sailed  up  the  Mississippi,  we  saw  fine  groves 
of  orange-trees  well  laden  with  fruit.  Negroes  were  plenty  on  the 
levees,  who  waved  their  tattered  hats  and  rags,  and  cried  out, 
'  Bless  de  Lord  ! '  They  always  did  so,  unless  when  called  to  do 
some  work;  and  then  their  lips  would  stick  out  so  that  you  might 
hang  your  hat  on  them,  and  they  had  'the  wus  misery  in  their 
bowels  '  you  ever  saw." —  Church's  Journal. 

Following  is  an  extract  from  an  address  delivered  by  Col. 
Greenleaf  at  a  reunion  of  the  regiment  at  Williamsburg,  Aug.  14, 
1883:  — 

Comrades  of  the  52 d  Regiment, —  As  probably  is  already  known 
to  many  of  you,  I  was  requested  some  time  ago,  by  our  worthy 
Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee,  to  give  you  to-day  a  chap 
ter  or  two  of  our  army  history,  which,  he  had  been  informed,  I 
had  prepared  and  delivered  elsewhere  ;  and  it  affords  me  pleasure 
to  say  that  I  am  now  here  to  comply  with  that  request. 

But  I  think  it  proper  that  I  should  premise  my  unpretending 
effort  by  saying  that  this  paper,  which  I  now  propose  to  read  to  you, 
was  originally  prepared  at  the  request  of  the  George  H.  Thomas 
Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Rochester,  N.Y.,  and  that 
it  only  takes  us  down  to  Brashear  City  on  our  return  march  from 
Barre's  Landing  ;  and  that,  although  I  have  since  continued  this 
imperfect  narrative  down  to  the  time  we  took  passage  on  board  of 
the  old  river  steamer  "  Choteau  "  for  our  home  voyage  up  the  Mis 
sissippi,  it  is  my  purpose  to  leave  you  to-day  at  Barre's  Landing, 
as  I  prefer  not  to  weary  you  with  too  long  a  story  at  any  one  time, 
and  do  not  wish  to  trespass  upon  the  time  that  justly  belongs  to 
others. 

And  I  may  say  here  that  my  main  object  in  these  opening 
chapters  was  simply  to  give  my  Rochester  friends  some  little  idea 
of  the  military  service  rendered  by  a  regiment  of  Massachusetts 
volunteers,  composed  of  as  good  material  as  was  ever  mustered 
into  the  service  of  the  United  States.  I  wish  to  tell  a  plain, 
straightforward  story  of  the  army  experiences  of  the  52d  Regi 
ment,  without  exaggeration  and  without  undue  embellishment. 
And  I  think  it  but  due  to  you  and  to  me  to  say  further  that,  had 
I  originally  prepared  this  paper  for  you  instead  of  preparing  it  for 
veteran  strangers,  I  should  naturally  have  generalized  less  than  I 
have,  and  have  been  more  personal  in  many  respects  than  I  now 


THE  "ILLINOIS  21 

am  ;  but  such  as  I  have  I  now  give  you,  with  now  and  then  a  brief 
interpolation,  without  further  preliminary. 

I  presume,  however,  you  will  not  expect  me  to  generalize, 
altogether,  in  what  I  have  to  say  to-day,  but  rather  that  I  will 
describe,  as  best  I  may,  some  events  which  came  under  my  own 
observation  during  our  brief  term  of  military  service ;  and  this  I 
propose  to  do,  although  I  must  say  that  I  have  little  expectation 
that  such  scenes  as  deeply  interested  and  affected  me,  in  those 
dark  days  that  "  tried  men's  souls,"  can  be  so  described  by  me  as 
to  make  them  of  any  particular  interest  to  the  world  at  large. 

But,  however  this  may  be,  the  52d  Regiment  of  Massachusetts 
Volunteer  Militia,  numbering  nine  hundred  and  thirty  strong, 
which,  by  virtue  of  a  military  commission,  I  had  the  honor  to 
command,  sailed  with  Gen.  Banks  from  New  York  Harbor,  on  his 
famous  expedition  to  the  Department  of  the  Gulf,  on  the  second 
day  of  December,  A.D.  1862. 

This  regiment,  together  with  the  i8th  New  York  Battery,  better 
known,  perhaps,  as  "  Mack's  Battery,"  of  Rochester,  N.Y.,  em 
barked  on  the  stanch  ocean  steamer  "  Illinois,"  and  steamed  for 
twenty-four  hours  in  a  southerly  direction,  under  sealed  orders  ; 
no  one  of  the  twelve  hundred  souls  on  board,  in  the  mean  time, 
knowing  whither  we  were  bound,  or  when,  if  ever,  we  should 
again  return  to  our  Western  Massachusetts  or  Green  Mountain 
homes. 

We  had  on  board,  in  addition  to  the  regiment  and  battery  al 
ready  mentioned,  several  distinguished  gentlemen  —  Union  refu 
gees  from  the  State  of  Texas  —  who,  by  permission  of  Gen. 
Banks,  had  taken  passage  with  us  in  the  expectation  that  we  were 
to  be  landed  at  Galveston.  These  gentlemen, —  and  among  them 
I  remember  especially,  and  with  pleasure,  Judge  William  Alex 
ander  and  Col.  Haynes,  of  Texas  Cavalry  fame, —  these  gentle 
men,  together  with  the  commissioned  officers  of  both  commands, 
occupied  the  steamer's  cabin,  and  were  made  comparatively  com 
fortable  and  happy  throughout  the  voyage.  But  not  so  with  the 
rank  and  file  :  these  poor  fellows,  notwithstanding  the  most  urgent 
protests  made  by  myself,  the  surgeon,  and  by  influential  personal 
friends  of  the  regiment,  to  Gen.  Banks,  were  packed  on  board 
very  much  like  sardines  in  a  box,  or,  not  to  exaggerate,  we  will 
say  very  much  like  so  many  Coolies  on  a  Cuban  slave-ship,  so 
that,  with  a  very  rough  sea, —  such  as  is  to  be  expected  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  in  the  month  of  December, —  with  nearly  every  one 


22  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

on  board  sea-sick,  not  even  excepting  the  commissaries  and  cooks, 
with  hundreds  in  the  "hold"  who  were  not  only  painfully  sea-sick, 
but  were  also  much  of  the  time  nearly  stifled  from  the  effect  of 
bad  odors  and  worse  air, —  one  can  better  imagine  than  describe 
the  discomfort,  yea,  misery,  suffered  by  these  unfortunate  human 
cattle  on  that  memorable  voyage  to  New  Orleans  and  Baton 
Rouge. 

But  at  the  appointed  time  —  when  twenty-four  hours  at  sea  — 
our  sealed  orders  were  broken,  in  the  presence  only  of  the  cap 
tain  of  the  steamer,  the  captain  of  the  battery,  and  the  colonel  of 
the  regiment,  to  find  that  the  "  Illinois,"  with  all  on  board,  to 
gether  with  the  numerous  other  vessels  of  the  fleet,  was  to  report, 
with  the  least  possible  delay,  for  further  orders  at  Ship  Island  in 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Up  to  this  time  many  of  us,  but  especially 
our  distinguished  Texas  friends,  had  been  led  to  believe  that  our 
expedition  was  destined  for  some  point  on  the  coast  of  Texas ; 
but  now  it  seemed  clear  that  our  first  objective  point  was  else 
where, —  and  this  much  to  the  surprise  and  disappointment  of  the 
latter,  who  were  anxious  to  return  and  help  sustain  the  Union 
cause  on  the  soil  of  their  own  State. 

I  recall  one  most  tragic  event  on  the  passage.  When  about 
midway  on  our  voyage,  we  had  what  I  many  times  had  read  about, 
but  never  before  witnessed, — "a  burial  at  sea," — the  most  solemn 
and  impressive  of  any  kind  I  had  ever  witnessed  before,  or  that  I 
have  since  attended. 

The  poor  lad  Richmond,  of  Co.  E,  who  had  died  from  the 
effects  of  sea-sickness  and  too  close  confinement,  the  night  pre 
vious,  was  sewed  up  tightly  in  his  woollen  blanket,  and  placed 
in  a  horizontal  position  on  a  wide  plank,  one  end  of  which  pro 
jected  a  little  over  the  larboard  bulwarks,  while  the  other  end, 
a  little  higher,  rested  on  an  old  box  or  other  thing  adapted  to  the 
purpose.  Heavy  weights  were  attached  to  the  feet.  Then,  there, 
in  the  early  morning,  with  the  stars  and  stripes  at  "half-mast" 
floating  over  the  inanimate  dead,  and  with  hundreds  of  mourning 
comrades  with  uncovered  heads  and  pale  faces,  gathered  around, 
the  chaplain  of  the  regiment  extemporized  an  eloquent  dis 
course,  earnest,  tender,  and  admirably  suited  to  the  occasion. 
A  fervent  prayer  to  "  the  Giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift " 
was  offered,  an  appropriate  hymn  sung  by  a  choir  of"  comrades 
standing  near,  and  then,  with  only  the  clear  blue  sky  above  us, 
and  naught  but  the  mad  waves  of  the  ocean  around  us,  so  far  as 


THE    "  ILLINOIS  "  23 

the  eye  could  reach,  a  kinsman,  Capt.  Richmond,  gently  lifted 
the  higher  end  of  the  plank,  the  soulless  form  plunged  into  the  sea, 
the  blue  waves  thereof  closed  over  it,  and  the  soldier-lad  was  lost 
to  sight  forever ! 

I  also  remember  a  serio-comic  incident  of  the  voyage.  One 
day,  when  we  had  been  several  days  at  sea,  and  all  were  suffering 
great  discomfort,  as  I  was  going  the  rounds  of  the  ship  to  see  for 
myself  that  the  actual  condition  of  the  command  was  no  worse 
than  it  need  be,  I  passed  down  into  the  "lower  hold,"  where,  even 
in  the  daytime,  it  was  quite  dark,  except  under  the  several  open 
hatchways  ;  and,  as  I  groped  my  way  along  between  the  many  rows 
of  "bunks"  from  the  "stern"  to  the  forward  part  of  the  vessel, 
brushing  against  some  unhappy  sea-sick  fellow  at  almost  every 
step  until  I  approached  the  open  "  forward "  hatchway,  and 
while  the  darkness  yet  concealed  my  presence,  I  heard  the  voices 
of  several  men  from  under  the  hatchway,  who  were  talking  in 
a  very  loud,  angry,  boisterous  way.  Among  the  angry  voices 
I  recognized  the  familiar  one  of  private  Niles,  Co.  I,  a  comical, 
good-natured  soldier,  not  supposed  to  be  at  all  vicious. 

I  heard  him  first  cursing  "  the  cooks "  ;  then  the  "  quarter 
master  ";  then,  still  more  violently,  "the  captain";  and  finally, 
just  as  I  emerged  from  the  darkness,  came  a  full,  round,  very  pro 
fane  expletive  applied  to  "the  colonel"!  I  took  no  notice  of 
what  I  had  heard  —  of  what  the  men  must  have  known  I  had 
heard  —  except  to  say,  in  a  quiet,  pleasant  way  :  "  You  seem  ex 
cited,  boys.  What  is  the  trouble  ?  Can  I  do  anything  for  you  ?  " 
"  Yes,  you  can,  colonel,"  says  Niles,  who  was  standing  with  his 
back  to  rne  as  I  approached, —  "  yes,  you  can.  Just  look  at  them 

d d  old  gravel  stones  for  potatoes,  and  say  if  you  think  we 

ought  to  be  starved  into  eating  them  !  "  holding  up  his  hands,  with 
three,  medium-sized  potatoes  in  each  one.  "Why,"  said  he,  "it 
is  enough  to  make  the  chaplain  swear  to  be  served  with  such  '  grub  ' 
as  this.  The  potatoes  have  not  been  cooked  at  all ;  and  our  beef 
and  pork  are  quite  as  bad  when  served  to  us." 

Said  I,  "  Let  me  see  those  potatoes."  He  handed  them  to  me, 
and  I  found  them  as  he  said,  nearly  as  hard  as  brick-bats  :  they 
were  perfectly  raw. 

I  asked,  "  Is  this  the  condition  in  which  your  potatoes  generally 
come  to  you?"  "Yes,  colonel,  it  is."  Then  I  said,  "Well,  boys, 
this  is  all  wrong ;  but  you  shall  no  longer  be  kept  on  raw  food  if 
I  can  prevent  it,  and  I  think  I  can.  Let  me  take  those  potatoes 


24  HISTORY    OF    THE    5  2D    REGIMENT 

to  '  the  quartermaster  and  cooks '  "  ;  and,  with  the  hard,  raw  things 
in  my  hands,  I  turned  to  leave,  when  Niles  loudly  exclaimed, 
"  There,  I  told  you  so.  Didn't  I  tell  you  that  the  colonel  would  set 
things  right  as  soon  as  we  reported  the  matter  to  him  ? "  -  Where 
upon  I  turned  back,  and  said  :  "  Why,  Niles,  I  thought  I  heard 
you  cursing  and  swearing  about  the  colonel  as  I  came  up,  a  mo 
ment  ago!  "  "  Ah  !  "  said  he,  as  quick  as  a  flash,  "  I  didn't  mean 
you,  colonel.  I  meant  the  lieutenant  colonel '/"  And  the  poor  fel 
lows  had  a  hearty  laugh,  in  spite  of  their  disagreeable  surround 
ings. 

Our  strong,  swift  steamer  was  among  the  first  of  the  fleet  to 
reach  the  rendezvous  designated  in  our  sealed  orders.  We  ar 
rived  at  Ship  Island,  and  dropped  anchor  the  eleventh  day  of 
December,  having  been  nine  days  on  the  passage.  Soon  other 
vessels  began  to  arrive,  and  by  the  thirteenth  nearly  the  whole 
squadron  had  come  to  anchor.  On  that  day  we  received  further 
orders,  and  steamed  away  for  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
thence  moved  up  the  river,  passing  many  fine  sugar  plantations, 
and  the  two  celebrated  forts,  -Jackson  and  St.  Phillip,  on  the 
way  to  New  Orleans,  where  we  learned  for  the  first  time  that 
Gen.  Banks  had  come  to  relieve  Gen.  Butler,  and  to  take  com 
mand  of  his  Military  Department. 

We  found  lying  quietly  at  anchor  in  the  middle  of  the  stream, 
apparently  as  harmless  as  the  other  vessels,  the  famous  flag-ship 
"  Hartford,"  with  her  great  admiral,  Farragut,  on  board  ;  also,  his 
renowned  frigates  and  sloops  of  war,  "  Mississippi,"  "  Richmond," 
"  Pensacola,"  and  "  Albatross,"  all  of  which  afterwards  rendered 
conspicuous  service  in  the  river  or  at  Mobile  Bay. 

I  had  spent  some  months  in  New  Orleans,  on  different  occa 
sions,  before  the  war ;  and  the  town  looked  quite  familiar  to  me, 
although  full  of  Union  soldiers,  and  but  few  of  its  old  inhabitants 
were  to  be  seen  on  the  streets  or  in  any  of  its  public  places. 
Remaining  here  but  a  day  or  two,  we  proceeded  up  the  river  to 
Baton  Rouge,  a  beautiful  town  of  some  seven  thousand  inhabi 
tants,  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  above  New  Orleans,  and  there  disembarked  and  went 
into  camp ;  most  of  the  enlisted  men  and  some  of  the  officers 
having  been  constantly  on  shipboard  from  the  second  to  the  seven 
teenth  day  of  December,  with  what  sad  effect  our  hospital  re 
ports  made  painfully  clear  to  us  shortly  after. 

I  have  not  these  reports  to  refer  to ;  but  my  recollection  is  that 


THE  "ILLINOIS"  25 

within  a  week  or  ten  days  from  the  time  of  landing  the  52d 
Regiment  alone  had  one  hundred  men  in  the  hospital,  and  the 
regimental  records  show  that  by  September,  1863, —  that  is,  after 
our  return, —  we  had  buried  nearly  this  number,  who  had  died  from 
disease  alone,  contracted  in  the  service,  and  which,  in  the  opinions 
of  our  surgeons,  as  well  as  in  my  own,  was  directly  traceable  to 
the  inhuman  confinement  on  shipboard  heretofore  described. 

From  Corp.  Stowell's  journal :  — 

"  On  Board  the  Steamer  i  Illinois?  December  12. —  On  Tuesday 
afternoon,  December  2,  we  weighed  anchor,  and  soon  were  quietly 
sailing  down  the  bay.  Our  fifes  and  drums  played  '  Yankee  Doodle  ' 
and  *  The  Girl  I  left  behind  me.'  Early  Friday  morning  the  wind 
began  to  blow  and  the  ship  began  to  rock,  and  then  came  the 
sea-sickness  which  I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe.  It  would  not 
have  taken  a  large  force  to  capture  us  at  that  time.  It  is  amusing 
to  go  over  the  ship  in  the  night-time,  and  see  the  various  places 
the  men  sleep  in.  Here  is  one  sitting  on  a  box,  another  on  a 
barrel.  There  was  a  box  on  deck  with  some  augur  holes  in  it. 
Open  it,  and  you  find  a  soldier  quietly  sleeping  there." 

"  December  6. —  Oh,  we  have  had  a  dreadful  time  of  it !  On  Fri 
day  the  non-commissioned  officers  of  Co.  F  were  all  unfit  for 
duty.  It  commenced  blowing  in  the  morning,  and  by  noon  blew  a 
perfect  gale,  and  on  the  increase  till  eleven  at  night.  Such  a 
sight  I  never  wish  to  see  again.  In  the  first  of  the  storm  the 
little  Testaments  were  out  pretty  thick ;  but  it  soon  got  too  hard 
for  that,  and  nearly  all  were  sea-sick.  The  worst  was  at  night. 
All  the  men  were  sick  and  groaning  through  the  night, — sick  as 
death. 

"  One  poor  fellow  is  on  deck,  sewed  up  in  his  blanket,  and  will 
soon  be  lowered  to  his  resting-place  in  the  deep.  The  burial 
service  of  the  Shelburne  boy  Richmond  has  just  taken  place. 
His  comrades  sang  two  or  three  pieces,  the  chaplain  read  from 
the  Bible,  offered  prayer,  and  with  uncovered  heads  we  saw  the 
poor  fellow  slide  down  the  plank.  I  pray  that  I  may  be  permitted 
to  die  among  my  kindred  and  be  buried  in  my  native  land." 

"  December  9. —  The  water  gave  out  two  days  ago.  We  have  none 
but  what  is  condensed  from  the  sea  water.  A  very  small  allow 
ance  of  that,  and  poor  enough." 

"December  14. —  We  have  had  what  we  call  a  cracker  pudding. 
Took  two  barrels  of  hard  tack,  put  it  into  a  caldron  with  some 


26  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

salt  and  water,  and  boiled  it  until  it  became  soft,  served  with  a 
little  water  for  drink." 

Daniel  W.  Lyman,  Co.  K,  wrote  to  the  Northampton  Gazette:  — 

"  U.S.  Transport  '  Illinois •,'  Gulf  of  Mexico. —  On  the  morning  of 
the  third  day  a  stiff  breeze  was  blowing,  which  soon  increased  to  a 
gale.  The  heaving  of  the  ship  brought  out  all  the  sea-sickness, 
and  but  few  escaped.  Such  a  scene  as  we  presented  on  board  I 
shall  not  attempt  to  describe.  I  never  witnessed  the  like  before, 
and  I  hope  I  never  shall  again.  This  Sabbath  morning  was  a  sad 
one  to  our  regiment.  Richmond,  of  Co.  E,  was  stricken  with 
typhoid  fever,  and  died  in  less  than  a  day  after  he  was  taken  ill. 
The  funeral  services  were  held  on  the  hurricane  deck,  and  his  re 
mains  consigned  to  a  watery  grave.  No  other  services  were  held 
through  the  day,  except  in  the  evening  a  few  who  had  the  love  of 
Christ  in  their  hearts  started  a  prayer-meeting;  and,  though  the 
surroundings  were  anything  but  pleasant,  it  mattered  not,  for  God 
was  with  us.  The  next  Sunday  we  were  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  River.  Religious  services  were  held  on  deck,  and  the 
chaplain  preached  an  appropriate  discourse  from  the  text,  '  Put 
on  the  whole  armor  of  God.'  After  a  brief  stop  at  New  Orleans, 
where  we  did  not  land,  we  started  again  up  the  river  for  Baton 
Rouge.  Our  guns  that  had  been  boxed  up  during  the  voyage  were 
now  taken  out,  and  forty  rounds  of  ammunition  given  out  to  every 
man.  We  were  accompanied  by  several  gunboats,  especially  one 
turtle-shaped  thing  called  the  *  Essex.'  At  noon  orders  came  for 
the  52d  Regiment  to  land,  which  they  did  cheerfully,  having  been 
on  board  the  steamer  nineteen  days.  We  marched  to  the  top  of 
the  bluff  and  stacked  our  guns,  leaving  our  baggage  on  the  boat. 
At  roll-call  at  eight  in  the  evening  we  were  ordered  to  sleep  with 
our  belts  on  and  to  lie  on  our  arms,  and  turn  out  at  four  in  the 
morning.  The  night  was  pleasant,  but  cold,  and  we  were  very 
uncomfortable  without  our  blankets  ;  but  morning  came  at  last, 
and  with  it  the  warm  sun. 

"December  19. —  Yesterday  we  were  marched  out  two  miles  on 
picket  duty.  The  night  was  cold,  and  we  had  to  keep  very  still 
and  quiet.  No  rebels  were  seen  through  the  night,  though  we 
hourly  expected  them. 

"We  are  now  comfortably  settled  in  camp  ;  and,  should  the  rebels 
attempt  to  capture  us,  they  would  find  us  ready  for  them.  Every 
thing  about  the  city  looks  like  desolation.  There  is  no  business 
going  on,  the  public  buildings  are  deserted,  grass  is  growing  in 
the  streets." 


THE  "ILLINOIS"  27 

Rev.  James  K.  Hosmer,  Co.  D,  was  appointed  one  of  the  color 
guard,  with  the  title  of  corporal,  and  after  his  return  published 
his  notes  under  the  title  of  "  The  Color  Guard,"  which  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  best  accounts  of  soldiers'  life  that  the  war  produced. 
I  am  permitted  to  make  extracts  from  this  journal,  and  only  regret 
that  I  cannot  make  them  more  complete. 

"  On  the  '•Illinois? — Have  I  mentioned  that  now  our  places  are 
assigned?  The  non-coms  (please  read  it  non-commissioned,  and 
not  non-compos) — for  some  high-minded  privates  declared  it  might 
well  mean  that  —  have  assigned  to  them  an  upper  cabin  over  the 
quarters  of  the  officers.  The  privates  are  in  front,  on  the  lower 
decks  and  in  the  hold.  Five  sergeants  of  our  company  and  two 
corporals  have  a  state-room  together,  perhaps  six  by  eight  feet. 
Besides  us,  two  officers'  servants  consider  that  they  have  a  right 
here.  Did  any  one  say  elbow  *  room '  ?  Below  there  are  three 
tiers  of  bunks,  with  narrow  passages  among  them.  The  men  lie 
side  by  side,  with  but  two  feet  or  so  of  space. 

"  This  morning  I  took  breakfast  in  the  berth,  which  is  din 
ing-room,  study,  and  parlor  as  well.  Sergt.  S.  carves  a  lump  of 
boiled  beef  with  my  dirk.  'Just  the  thing  for  it!'  he  exclaims. 
There  has  been  no  end  to  the  grumbling.  We  have  all  been  sea 
sick,  and  responsibilities  which  the  disordered  stomach  should 
shoulder  have  been  thrown  on  the  food.  This  brings  me  to  speak 
of  what  I  have  noticed  again  and  again,  since  we  became  soldiers, 
that  the  first  to  complain  of  their  rations  are  those  who  have  come 
from  the  poorest  circumstances.  Those  who  at  home  have  been 
forced  to  live  on  the  coarsest  food  are  now  first  and  loudest  in 
their  outcries  against  the  rations. 

"We  left  Ship  Island  yesterday  (Saturday),  having  lain  at  an 
chor  there  since  Thursday.  Sergt.  S.  was  one  of  the  few  who  went 
ashore,  and  came  back  smacking  his  lips,  telling  great  stories  of  a 
hoe-cake  with  butter  which  he  bought  of  a  contraband.  He  must 
have  had  a  good  supper,  and  became  the  pet  of  the  non-coms  for 
that  evening;  for  they  made  him  repeat  the  story  again  and  again, 
endeavoring  from  the  lusciousness  of  his  description  to  realize  the 
actual  sensation  which  the  palate  of  the  sergeant  had  experienced. 
All  day  long  transports  laden  with  troops  were  arriving.  The 
decks  of  all  were  dark  with  troops.  We  hear  from  some  the  drum 
and  fife,  from  others  the  strains  of  a  full  band,  and  from  every 
regiment  cheer  after  cheer,  as  they  round  the  point  of  the  island, 
pass  in  among  the  ships,  and  finally  cast  anchor.  Word  was 


28  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

passed  Saturday  night  that  we  were  bound  to  New  Orleans.  The 
day  is  beautiful  as  we  ascend  the  river.  We  pass  a  plantation 
belonging,  as  we  are  told,  to  Judah  P.  Benjamin.  We  come 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  orange  groves  and  the  balconies.  A 
crowd  of  negroes,  of  all  sizes  and  both  sexes,  rush  to  the  bank  to 
shout  and  wave  their  hands.  As  night  is  falling,  we  can  begin  to 
see  the  lights  of  New  Orleans.  Ed  and  I  sit  on  the  paddle-box 
watching  the  light  of  the  hostile  city  in  chains  under  our  cannon. 
The  fine  band  of  the  4ist  on  the  'North  Star'  play  'Twinkling 
Stars  are  laughing  light,'  and  other  pieces  to  the  delight  of  all  of 
the  transports.  One  of  our  fellows  offered  to  swop  our  band  for 
theirs,  which  caused  a  joke  on  board  the  '  Illinois ' ;  for  we  are 
rather  lame  in  point  of  music. 

"A  certain  creeper,  the  pest  of  camps  from  time  immemorial,  has 
made  its  appearance  on  the  '  Illinois,'  and  has  been  the  staple  horror 
on  the  latter  part  of  the  voyage.  Some  one  must  yell  out  the 
enquiry  if  the  41  st  know  anything  about  them.  The  answer 
comes  pealing  back,  'We  have  got  them  with  U.  S.  marked  on 
their  backs.'  So  go  the  jokes  through  the  evening. 

"Here  are  the  great  peacemakers  of  the  city.  We  find  frigate 
after  frigate,  grim,  dangerous,  silent ;  our  flag  at  the  stern,  with 
formidable  batteries  all  in  perfect  trim  and  trained  against  the  city. 
Blue  tars  crowd  the  decks,  watchmen  with  spy-glasses  are  on  the 
tops.  Should  secession  grow  ripe  again  and  the  watch  behold  the 
dust  arising  from  '  an  emeute,'  New  Orleans  would  be  blown  into 
shreds  and  splinters. 

"  We  cast  anchor  again,  the  day  goes  by,  we  buy  oranges  ripe 
and  sweet  from  boats  which  come  alongside.  While  the  hope  of 
landing  fades  and  fades." 


III. 

BATON    ROUGE. 
[DEC.  17,  1862,  TO  JAN.  20,  1863.] 

From  Col.  Greenleaf's  address:  — 

"Shortly  after  we  landed,  the  52d  Regiment  was  formally  as 
signed  to  the  2d  Brigade  of  Grover's  Division,  igth  Army  Corps,  as 
were  also  the  241!!  Connecticut,  Col.  Mansfield,  the  4ist  Massachu 
setts,  Col.  Chickering,  and  the  Qist  New  York,  Col.  Van  Zandt. 

"We  here  went  to  work  at  once,  and  with  a  will,  to  add  to  our 
small  stock  of  military  knowledge.  The  days  were  spent  in  com 
pany  and  regimental  drills,  and  the  nights  in  studying  the  tactics 
and  army  regulations.  We  spent  the  winter  thus,  and  in  perform 
ing  the  well-known  routine  duties  of  camp  life." 

Chaplain's  letter  :  — 

BATON  ROUGE,  Dec.  17,  1862. 

My  dear  Friends  of  the  Sunday-school, —  It  is  almost  a  month 
since  I  left  home.  We  have  been  on  board  the  steamer  "Illinois  " 
more  than  two  weeks,  and  have  made  a  voyage  of  twenty-three 
hundred  miles  from  New  York.  The  men  were  very  much  crowded, 
but  going  to  sea  was  new  business  to  most  of  them.  They  enjoyed 
it  for  a  few  days  while  the  novelty  lasted.  After  that  we  had  a  hard 
storm,  and  most  of  the  men  were  sea-sick.  The  chaplain  took  his 
turn  with  the  rest.  We  spent  a  couple  of  days  at  Ship  Island,  as 
desolate  a  place  as  can  be  imagined.  We  did  not  land  there ;  for 
just  as  we  were  making  arrangements  to  do  so  came  orders  to  sail, 
but  in  what  direction  we  did  not  know.  We  sailed  south,  and  next 
morning,  which  was  Sunday,  found  ourselves  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  sailed  up  that  river  more  than  a  hundred 
miles  to  New  Orleans.  We  all  enjoyed  it  very  much.  The  disa 
greeable  rockings  and  pitchings  of  the  vessel  were  over.  The  men 
felt  well,  the  weather  was  as  pleasant  as  a  June  day  at  home,  and 
the  country  was  so  new  and  strange  that  it  made  it  the  pleasantest 
day  we  had  seen  since  leaving  Massachusetts.  The  banks  are 
low,  and  are  covered  with  tall,  coarse  grass.  The  men  were  on  the 
lookout  for  alligators,  but  did  not  see  anv.  About  ten  o'clock  we 


30  HISTORY    OF   THE    52D    REGIMENT 

passed  Forts  Jackson  and  Phillip,  where  there  were  a  great  many 
Union  troops,  who  cheered  us  as  we  passed,  we  cheering  lustily  in 
return.  When  we  had  passed  the  forts,  I  tried  to  have  a  religious 
service.  There  were  several  hundred  present,  but  there  was  so 
much  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  men  I  could  hardly  get  their  at 
tention.  While  reading  from  the  Bible,  I  found  I  had  lost  the  eyes 
of  my  congregation  :  I  found  they  were  all  gazing  upon  the  shore. 
Looking  in  that  direction,  I  saw  that  we  were  passing  an  orange 
grove.  The  trees  were  loaded  with  luscious  ripe  fruit.  It  was  not 
strange  that  the  attention  of  the  men  was  called  off  from  the 
preaching.  It  is  my  opinion  that  the  boys  and  girls  in  our  Sunday- 
school  would  have  done  the  same.  We  passed  many  orange  plan 
tations,  then  came  sugar  plantations,  immense  fields  of  sugar-cane. 
Some  of  it  was  cut,  and  many  acres  are  not  and  will  not  be.  The 
men  are  in  the  secession  army,  and  the  negroes  will  not  work. 
There  were  no  signs  of  Sunday  anywhere.  The  negroes  would  cheer 
us  as  we  passed,  but  the  white  people  were  very  still  and  sullen. 
We  reached  New  Orleans  just  before  sunset,  and  it  was  a  splendid 
spectacle.  One  large  vessel  after  another  sailed  majestically  up 
the  river,  all  crowded  with  Union  soldiers,  who  cheered  each  other 
lustily.  The  bands  were  playing  on  all  the  boats,  the  flags  were  un 
furled,  and,  on  the  whole,  it  was  a  very  grand  and  inspiring  specta 
cle.  Monday  we  spent  at  New  Orleans.  We  were  not  allowed  to 
land,  but  toward  night  the  colonel  told  me  I  might  go  to  the  post- 
office  and  carry  the  letters  which  had  been  written  on  board.  They 
were  in  a  large  box,  and  numbered  about  three  thousand.  It  took 
two  men  to  carry  them. 

On  my  return,  finding  the  boat  was  not  going  to  sail  for  some 
time,  Capt.  Bissell  and  I  took  a  stroll  through  the  city.  All  the 
great  places  of  business  were  closed.  Some  whole  streets  were  as 
empty  as  if  there  were  no  people  in  the  neighborhood.  The  next 
morning,  Tuesday,  all  was  hurry  and  confusion ;  for  we  were  or 
dered  to  sail  at  once,  but  in  what  direction  we  did  not  know.  By 
twelve  o'clock  all  the  steamers,  eight  in  number,  with  some  formi 
dable-looking  gun-boats,  were  ready  for  the  start.  The  sail  up  the 
river  was  very  like  that  of  the  Sunday  previous.  We  had,  on  the 
whole,  a  delightful  sail.  The  only  drawback  was  that  we  were  in 
rebel  territory,  and  might  get  peppered  with  bullets  at  any  moment. 
The  men  were  ordered  to  secure  their  arms,  fill  their  cartridge 
boxes,  and  load  up  their  guns.  At  night  orders  were  given  to 
have  breakfast  at  daybreak,  and,  with  two  days'  rations,  ready  to 


BATON    ROUGE  31 

meet  the  enemy  at  any  moment.  Everything  looked  like  active 
work.  In  view  of  what  was  behind  and  before  us,  our  voyage  and 
the  impending  battle,  our  distance  from  home,  the  uncertainty  of 
the  future,  it  was  natural  enough  that  the  religious  element  was  a 
good  deal  stirred  within  us.  So  a  prayer-meeting  was  held  late  in 
the  evening  down  in  the  hold  of  that  crowded  ship.  There  was 
no  room  for  men  to  stand ;  but,  taking  my  position  where  two 
narrow  alleys  met,  I  could  see  rows  of  heads  sticking  out  of  the 
bunks  on  either  side,  one  above  another,  far  down  each  of  the 
alleys,  as  the  men  lay  stretched  out  at  full  length.  We  had  as 
earnest,  hearty,  whole-souled  a  meeting  for  prayer  as  I  ever 
attended.  The  place,  the  position  of  the  men,  the  circumstances, 
all  made  it  as  impressive  as  possible. 

After  the  meeting  I  turned  into  my  bunk  and  slept  as  well  as  I 
could  in  the  confusion  till  five  o'clock,  when  the  hurrying  of  the 
men  on  deck  and  the  raising  of  the  cannon  from  the  hold  of  the 
vessel  awakened  me.  Hurrying  on  deck,  I  could  see  that  we  were 
near  Baton  Rouge,  the  capital  of  Louisiana.  We  moved  up  quite 
near  the  town.  One  of  the  famous  iron-clads  preceded  us.  Pres 
ently  we  saw  the  flash  and  heard  the  boom  of  the  big  guns  of  the 
gun-boat,  then  another  and  another  in  quick  succession.  We 
were  reminded  that  we  were  in  Rebeldom,  but  there  was  no 
response  to  our  firing.  Hardly  any  of  the  inhabitants  appeared 
in  sight.  A  few  women  and  children,  chiefly  negroes,  came  out 
of  their  houses  to  look  at  us.  The  town  had,  evidently,  sur 
rendered.  The  Confederate  troops  who  had  been  here  had  ske 
daddled,  and,  we  are  told,  are  but  a  few  miles  away  to  make  an 
attack  upon  us  when  we  land.  The  gun-boat  anchored  near  the 
shore.  We  sprang  from  our  steamer  upon  the  gun-boat,  and  from 
that  to  the  shore,  where  we  formed  hastily  into  line,  and  rushed  up 
the  bank  to  the  high  ground  on  which  the  city  is  built.  It  was  a 
curious  change.  Instead  of  being  assailed  by  a  rebel  force,  as  we 
anticipated,  as  we  hurried  across  the  open  space  in  front  of  us, 
the  grasshoppers  hopped  out  of  our  way  and  the  robins  were 
singing  in  the  adjoining  trees.  But  we  soon  saw  the  desolation 
that  war  had  made.  There  are  many  stacks  of  chimneys  standing, 
which  is  all  that  is  left  of  what,  before  the  war,  were  beautiful 
dwellings.  Some  earthworks  are  here,  thrown  up  a  year  ago, 
when  the  Union  army  held  the  city ;  and  these  our  regiment  took 
possession  of,  in  the  hope  that  they  would  be  of  some  service  in 
case  we  were  attacked,  as  there  are  indications  that  we  should  be 
very  soon,  quite  likely  before  morning. 


32  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

One  good  house  is  standing  in  this  part  of  the  city.  It  was 
closed,  and  the  furniture  gone.  The  colonel  and  his  staff  have 
taken  possession  of  this  house.  In  one  room  I  found  a  little  table 
and  a  chair.  These  I  have  appropriated,  and  so  am  able  to  write 
you  this  long  letter.  It  is  the  first  time  I  have  sat  in  a  chair,  at  a 
table,  since  I  left  home.  We  shall  spread  some  blankets  on  the 
floor,  and  sleep  well,  if  the  "  rebs  "  will  let  us.  The  men  are  busy 
pitching  their  tents  close  to  the  house.  They  have  torn  down  the 
fences  to  make  floors  for  the  tents.  It  is  sad  to  see  a  city  in  such 
ruins  as  this,  and  to  witness  such  a  destruction  of  property  :  it 
would  be  sadder  still  to  have  a  terrible  battle,  as  we  anticipate  we 
may  have.  I  dread  to  think  of  it.  The  men  had  a  hard  night' of 
it.  They  had  hurried  from  the  boat  without  their  blankets,  and 
there  was  no  means  of  securing  them.  So  at  roll-call,  at  eight 
o'clock,  they  were  ordered  to  sleep  with  their  belts  on,  and  to  lie 
on  their  arms,  and  turn  out  at  four  o'clock  for  roll-call.  The  night 
was  pleasant,  but  cold  ;  and  it  was  very  uncomfortable  sleeping 
without  our  blankets, —  indeed,  there  was  very  little  sleep  for  us. 
We  walked  about  most  of  the  night  to  keep  from  freezing.  In  our 
room  we  were  very  busy.  The  order  came  to  be  ready  for  action. 
We  were  liable  to  be  attacked  at  any  moment.  The  doctor  had 
his  instruments  and  medicine  ready,  and  men  detailed  to  carry 
stretchers  which  were  brought  into  our  room.  Then  we  lay  down 
and  slept  as  well  as  we  could  on  the  hard  floor,  without  blankets. 
But  no  rebels  came ;  and  to-day  we  are  disposed  to  laugh  at  our 
preparations  for  a  foe,  which,  for  aught  we  know,  is  miles  away. 
Still,  we  are  in  the  enemy's  country,  and  have  to  be  very  watchful. 
To-night  we  have  a  good  fire  and  our  blankets,  and  a  hard  floor 
will  not  trouble  us.  A  good  many  men  are  suffering  from  colds 
contracted  largely  that  first  night  on  shore.  The  water,  too,  is 
very  unhealthy.  We  hope  to  get  a  mail  soon.  We  have  not  heard 
from  home  since  we  left  New  York. 

From  Church's  journal :  — 

"The  morning  of  December  17  found  us  opposite  Baton  Rouge. 
Forty  rounds  of  cartridges,  with  two  days'  rations,  were  issued. 
War  began  to  show  his  face.  Some  queer  things  took  place  while 
the  shelling  of  Baton  Rouge  was  going  on.  We  were  to  land  at 
once,  as  we  supposed,  to  fight  as  soon  as  we  were  on  shore.  Some 
of  the  officers  appeared  to  have  lost  their  pride  in  their  shoulder- 
straps,  and  seemed  to  be  pleased  with  very  small  badges  of  their 


BATON    ROUGE  33 

ranks.  Not  so  Col.  Greenleaf,  who  appeared  in  his  most  showy 
uniform.  Some  of  the  boys  had  absurdly  bought  tin  vests  as  a 
protection  against  rebel  bullets,  but  they  were  all  thrown  aside 
when  we  came  to  actual  work." 

Says  the  chaplain  in  the  Greenfield  Gazette:  — 

December  31. —  Baton  Rouge  is  the  capital  of  the  State,  and 
before  the  war  must  have  been  a  beautiful  town.  The  52d  is  en 
camped  on  the  edge  of  the  plain  on  which  the  city  is  built.  East 
of  the  camp  is  a  good  parade  ground.  At  the  right  is  a  good  two- 
story  house,  unfurnished,  which  the  officers  of  the  regiment  oc 
cupy.  The  town,  what  there  is  left  of  it,  is  a  deserted,  desolate 
place.  The  streets  are  forsaken,  the  stores  are  closed.  To  the 
east  of  us  are  a  large  number  of  stacks  of  chimneys,  which  are  all 
that  is  left  of  what  six  months  ago  were  elegant  residences. 

The  health  of  the  regiment  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  other 
regiments.  Our  men  still  suffer  from  their  eighteen  days'  confine 
ment  on  shipboard.  Our  first  night  on  shore  was  a  hard  one. 
The  men  were  without  blankets  :  the  night  was  cold  and  damp. 
The  men  laid  on  their  arms,  and  many  took  cold.  The  changes  of 
climate,  of  living,  and  especially  the  water,  have  impaired  the 
health  of  many  of  the  men.  There  are  about  twenty  in  the  hospi 
tal,  and  nearly  a  hundred  under  medical  treatment.  The  hospital, 
a  deserted  hotel  and  club-room,  where  the  sick  are  as  well  cared 
for  as  they  can  be  in  camp.  But  the  camp  is  a  sad  place  to  be 
sick.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  homesickness  and  heart-sickness  in 
the  hospital. 

The  weather  has  been  delightful,  and  continues  so.  The  heat 
in  the  middle  of  the  day  is  often  oppressive.  The  men  throw  off 
their  coats,  and  move  about  listlessly,  as  at  home  on  a  hot  day  in 
spring.  The  roses  are  in  full  leaf,  the  buds  are  just  ready  to  open 
in  the  yards.  The  evenings  and  nights  are  chilly,  cold,  and  very 
damp.  The  most  prominent  building  we  saw  as  we  approached 
was  the  State  House.  The  interior  had  been  sacked  and  desolated 
when  our  troops  took  possession  here  a  year  ago.  On  Sunday 
there  was  an  alarm  of  fire,  and  it  was  soon  discovered  that  it  pro 
ceeded  from  the  interior  of  the  State  House.  Co.  A,  situated  there, 
did  what  they  could  to  check  the  flames  ;  but,  in  spite  of  them, 
the  interior  was  burned  out.  Only  the  blackened,  scorched,  and 
windowless  walls  remained  of  the  edifice  which  was  the  pride  of 
the  city  and  of  the  State. 

There  are  more  than  a  thousand  poor,  miserable  contrabands 


34  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

within  our  lines  under  the  care  of  Lieut.  Stearns,  of  Northfield. 
They  are  as  happy  and  careless,  as  ragged  and  dirty,  a  set  of  beings 
as  can  be  imagined.  What  is  to  be  their  fate  is  one  of  the  mys 
teries  which  time  alone  can  determine.  Do  you  ask  how  many 
troops  we  have  here,  and  what  we  are  here  for?  You  can  answer 
that  question  as  well  as  we. 

One  morning  we  were  aroused  from  our  slumbers  by  the  "long 
roll,"  and  were  soon  in  line  of  battle ;  but,  after  standing  in  the 
cold  an  hour,  and  as  no  enemy  appeared,  we  were  ordered  back 
to  our  quarters.  The  scene  was  a  little  exciting,  but  the  men 
were  decidedly  cool  before  it  was  over. 

Corp.  Stowell  writes  home  :  — 

"December  26. —  The  army  is  just  the  place  to  give  a  man  an 
appetite  and  make  him  rugged,  if  he  is  only  tough  enough  to  en 
dure  the  hardships.  We  are  called  up  every  morning  at  half-past 
four,  and  ordered  into  line  with  all  our  equipments,  and  sometimes 
are  dismissed  as  soon  as  roll-call,  sometimes  kept  on  the  line  for 
hours,  and  get  chilled  entirely  through;  and  that  is  what  makes  so 
many  sick." 

"  December  29. —  Last  night  it  was  excitement  all  night.  The 
State  House  was  set  on  fire  about  dark,  and  burned  through  the 
night.  It  makes  me  mad  to  be  put  under  such  restrictions  in 
regard  to  using  rebel  property.  They  would  allow  us  to  starve 
rather  than  touch  anything  that  belongs  to  the  cussed  rebels.  I 
wish  I  could  have  the  command  of  this  army  for  the  remainder 
of  the  nine  months.  We  never  can  do  anything  towards  stopping 
the  rebellion  so  long  as  we  are  so  careful  of  the  rebels.  They 
destroy  our  lives  and  property  at  sight,  while  we  dally  along  and 
try  to  do  nothing  to  aggravate  them." 

To  the  Greenfield  Gazette  and  Courier:  — 

Baton  Rouge,  December  29. —  Our  regiment  drills  three  hours  a 
day,  which  may  be  considered  a  short  day's  work  ;  but  we  have  no 
time  to  spare  after  getting  our  guns  and  clothes  clean  and  our 
accoutrements  in  good  order.  We  have  not  been  troubled  as  yet 
to  kill  time.  The  morning  roll-call  is  at  five  o'clock,  breakfast  at 
seven,  guard  mounting  at  eight,  drill  from  nine  to  ten,  from  eleven 
to  twelve,  from  half-past  one  to  half-past  two,  dinner  at  twelve, 
dress  parade  at  half-past  four,  evening  call  at  eight.  Five  or  six 
hundred  negroes  have  come  into  the  city  since  we  landed.  They 
come  from  the  plantations  around  this  city.  They  usually  run 
away  in  the  night.  Co.  A  has  been  detailed  as  guard  for  provost 


BATON    ROUGE  35 

duty.  Their  quarters  are  at  the  State  House,  where  there  are 
several  rebel  prisoners.  The  ladies  of  Baton  Rouge  supply  them 
(the  prisoners)  with  such  luxuries  as  they  can  obtain.  Since  its 
organization  in  September,  Co.  A  has  furnished,  besides  its  com 
pany  officers,  a  chaplain,  surgeon,  adjutant,  two  sergeants,  and 
three  corporals.  Private  Henry  S.  Gere,  Co.  C,  has  been  ap 
pointed  brigade  postmaster.  He  is  acting  postmaster  for  the 
whole  camp.  It  is  an  excellent  position  for  the  editor,  and  we 
congratulate  him  on  his  good  fortune. 

BATON  ROUGE,  Jan.  i,  1863. 

My  dear  Wife, —  The  health  of  the  regiment  has  improved  a 
little,  I  think,  since  we  landed.  There  are  none  very  sick.  Sammis, 
of  South  Deerfield,  is  ill,  but  I  think  he  will  recover;  the  same 
with  Capt.  Long  and  Capt.  Stone.  We  have  just  received  the 
account  of  the  terrible  reverse  our  army  has  received  at  Fred- 
ericksburg.  In  view  of  our  hardships  and  these  reverses,  you  nat 
urally  ask,  Do  I  repent  engaging  in  the  enterprise  ?  I  reply  confi 
dently,  "  No,  not  for  a  moment."  However  the  contest  terminates, 
I  do  not  regret  that  I  put  my  hand  to  the  work.  If  it  shall  termi 
nate,  as  I  still  hope  and  pray  it  will,  I  shall  rejoice  that  I  had  a 
part  in  it.  If  it  shall  turn  out  disastrously,  I  shall  have  no  re 
proaches  that  it  was  through  my  fault. 

Jan.  2,  1863. —  .  .  .  Capt.  Long  admitted  me  very  cordially  to  his 
mess.  I  feel  now  as  though  I  had  something  to  depend  on.  His 
quarters  are  at  a  gentleman's  confiscated  house  near  the  ruins  of 
the  State  House,  so  I  walk  half  a  mile  to  my  meals.  Yesterday 
being  New  Year's,  our  darky  cooks  prepared,  what  they  call,  a 
bang-up  dinner, —  a  baked  chicken,  some  fresh  beef,  tough  as  a 
bull's  hide,  some  toast,  lemonade,  and  hominy.  We  had  a  table 
cloth,  some  crockery  plates,  and  a  blessing  asked,  and,  on  the 
whole,  a  civilized  dinner.  We  have  been  put  into  the  2d 
Brigade  with  the  4ist  Massachusetts  Regiment  and  the  24th  Con 
necticut.  Gere  and  I  have  been  talking  this  morning  about  send 
ing  for  our  wives.  If  you  were  here  now,  it  would  be  very  pleas 
ant  for  a  week,  possibly  a  month ;  but,  before  you  could  get  here, 
we  may  be  far  away  and  far  less  pleasantly  situated.  I  hardly 
know  what  we  could  do  with  you  if  you  were  here.  This  is  a  very 
good  room,  but  in  addition  to  the  inconvenience  of  sleeping  on 
the  floor  is  that  of  sharing  it  with  seven  or  eight  men.  The  house 
has  not  a  closet,  and,  of  course,  no  cellar. 


^6  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

JANUARY  n,  1863. 

My  dear  Sunday-school  Scholars, —  Let  me  tell  you  of  to-day  as  a 
specimen.  I  rose  at  seven.  A  toilet  which  consists  of  pulling  on 
one's  boots  and  washing  one's  face  is  soon  performed.  A  walk 
of  half  a  mile  brings  me  to  the  house  occupied  by  Capt.  Long. 
He  is  living  in  clover,  as  he  says.  As  the  morning  is  cool,  the 
captain  has  in  his  private  room  a  little  fire.  On  entering,  you  are 
amazed  at  the  costly  and  elegant  furniture.  The  bed-posts,  for 
instance,  are  of  solid  mahogany,  at  least  ten  inches  in  diameter. 
Breakfast  is  served  in  the  dining-room,  which,  like  the  bedroom, 
contains  marks  of  former  magnificence.  The  occupant  fled  at 
the  approach  of  the  "Yanks,"  and  took  what  he  could  ;  but  he 
could  not  carry  away  his  costly  bedsteads,  sideboard,  extension 
table,  etc.,  and  now  we  use  them  as  complaisantly  as  if  we  owned 
them.  The  breakfast  is  served  by  the  "intelligent  contraband," 
and  has  been  cooked  by  his  wife,  and  consists  of  corn-cake  and 
molasses.  Our  keen  appetites  call  it  a  good  breakfast.  Shortly 
after  preparation  is  made  for  a  religious  service,  which  is  to  be  in 
the  Court  House,  where  Co.  A  is  quartered.  The  chaplain  grows 
red  and  hot  with  indignation  when  he  finds  that  no  notice  has 
been  given  of  the  service  except  to  Co.  A.  The  sergeant-major 
hurries  through  the  camp,  and  gives  the  notice.  He  finds  half  the 
men  washing  themselves  or  their  clothes,  the  other  half  writing 
letters. 

Half  an  hour  behind  time  the  chaplain  goes  to  the  extempo 
rized  desk,  and  finds  before  him  a  congregation  of  about  seventy- 
five  men;  women,  none;  children,  none.  On  the  table  a  bouquet 
of  delicate,  half-open  roses,  gathered  from  the  yard  outside.  The 
singing  is  good.  The  prayers  are  tender  with  grateful  memories 
of  home  and  friends.  The  sermon  from  Proverbs  xxiii.  25.  All 
very  pleasant  and  somewhat  homelike.  After  the  service  a 
couple  of  hours  is  spent  in  the  general  hospital,  going  from  one  to 
another  sick  couch,  and  speaking  such  words  of  cheer  and  hope  as 
could  be  spoken.  After  reading  the  eighty-first  Psalm,  a  prayer 
is  offered  and  words  of  faith  and  trust  spoken.  Some  of  the 
patients  are  sound  asleep  through  the  service ;  some  listen  ;  many 
do  not.  It  is  a  painful,  sad  service.  There  are  about  thirty  of 
our  regiment  in  the  hospital.  Jonathan  Slate,  of  Bernardston,  is 
quite  sick :  so  is  Hall,  of  Co.  E ;  the  same  with  Roberts,  of  Am- 
herst;  Montague,  of  Sunderland ;  Morgan,  of  Co.  H;  and  others 
more  or  less  ailing.  On  leaving  the  hospital,  a  call  came  to  pack 


BATON    ROUGE  37 

knapsacks  and  take  forty  rounds  of  ammunition  and  be  ready  to 
fall  in  at  a  moment's  notice.  Hastening  back  to  quarters,  I  find 
all  stir  and  animation.  News  is  received  that  a  large  force  of  the 
enemy  are  near  at  hand,  and  we  may  expect  an  attack  at  any  mo 
ment.  Aides-de-camp  are  hurrying  about  on  fast  horses,  deliver 
ing  and  receiving  orders.  The  chaplain,  having  no  orders  to  give 
or  receive,  except  to  have  his  knapsack  packed  that  he  may  be 
ready  for  anything  that  occurs,  sits  down  to  look  over  the  day's 
accumulation  of  letters,  some  two  or  three  hundred  in  all.  In  the 
mean  time  the  regiment  is  called  out  and  hurried  to  the  ramparts, 
where  they  are  put  through  a  pretty  sharp  practice  of  lying  down 
and  in  that  position  going  through  all  the  processes  of  loading  and 
firing  their  guns.  At  last  they  were  dismissed  to  their  tents,  with 
orders  to  be  ready  to  assume  their  positions  behind  the  parapets 
at  a  moment's  notice. 

The  supper  of  hominy  and  molasses  and  coffee  completes  the 
feeding  for  the  day, —  not  rich  food,  but  wholesome, —  and  a  quiet 
evening,  not  knowing  what  the  night  will  bring  forth.  The  coun 
try  and  the  climate  are  delightful.  Birds  are  singing  in  the  trees, 
butterflies  are  on  the  wing,  the  grass  is  green  in  the  fields.  But 
hark !  there  is  a  steam  whistle.  A  boat  is  coming  up  the  river. 
Will  it  bring  a  mail  ?  We  must  know,  so  we  hasten  to  the  muddy 
levee  to  find  there  is  no  mail.  But  there  probably  will  be  to-mor 
row.  But  what  will  be  on  the  morrow  ?  Shall  we  have  a  bloody 
battle,  and  death  and  wounds,  and  all  that  ?  or  is  this  alarm  only 
a  little  practice  which  the  soldiers  need?  I  strongly  suspect  the 
latter.  In  either  case,  we  shall  be  likely  to  hear  the  long  roll 
before  morning.  Now  the  evening  is  past,  and  you  have  learned 
somewhat  of  how  I  am  spending  my  time.  The  days  are  much 
alike, —  much  in  them  that  is  pleasant  and  much  that  is  sad.  We 
all  long  for  home  and  peace.  And  that  is  the  hope  and  prayer  of 
your  friend  and  pastor,  J.  F.  MOORS. 

To  my  wife  :  — 

January  5. —  Yesterday  a  boat  came  up,  saying  that  the  rebels 
had  attacked  a  party  of  our  men  at  Plaquemine,  twenty  miles 
below  here ;  and  four  companies  of  our  regiment  —  namely,  Cos. 
E,  G,  H,  and  K  —  have  been  sent  down  to  guard  the  place.  Co. 
A  is  still  doing  police  duty  in  the  city,  so  five  companies  are  gone. 
More  than  a  hundred  are  on  the  sick  list,  sixty  are  required  for 
guard  duty,  seventy  for  picket,  so  we  have  but  few  left  in  the  camp. 


38  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

I  have  suffered  very  much  lying  on  the  floor,  which  is  very 
thin,  and  the  air  came  up  through  it  to  such  an  extent  that 
I  could  not  keep  warm.  I  resolved  not  to  sleep  there  any  longer, 
and  confiscated  an  old  sofa,  on  which  I  spread  my  blanket,  and 
slept  warm  and  comfortably. 

I  have  lived  lightly  for  a  few  days,  and  am  getting  around  with 
out  taking  any  of  the  doctor's  camphor  and  opium  pills.  I  can 
take  care  of  myself  better  than  most  can,  for  I  can  better  command 
my  own  time.  I  have  confidence  in  the  doctor  that  he  will  take 
good  care  of  me  if  I  am  sick. 

I  shall  defer  all  account  of  this  expedition  to  Plaquemine  till 
its  return. 

On  Saturday  afternoon  I  wanted  a  place  for  religious  meet 
ings.  They  must  be  held  in  the  evening,  and  the  air  is  too  chilly 
and  damp  for  out-of-door  services.  I  thought  of  the  second  story 
of  the  old  foundry,  standing  a  little  way  from  us, — a  large,  un 
finished  room  made  to  store  the  wooden  patterns  used  in  the 
shop  below.  The  windows  are  sadly  broken  by  musketry  and  the 
walls  battered  by  shells.  Getting  twenty  men  to  help  me,  we 
cleared  out  half  of  this  room,  arranged  boards  for  benches,  and 
soon  had  a  comfortable  church  extemporized,  in  which  we  have 
earnest  meetings  in  the  evening,  from  one  hundred  to  two  hun 
dred  present,  with  one  candle  to  make  the  darkness  visible. 

January  12. —  Back  to  camp  to  attend  the  funeral  of  Norman 
Roberts,  of  Amherst,  who  has  been  sick  ever  since  we  landed.  A 
prayer  and  Scripture  reading  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  regi 
ment,  then  a  procession  of  soldiers  with  arms  reversed  and  muffled 
drums,  the  body  in  a  covered  United  States  baggage  wagon  drawn 
by  mules,  members  of  Co.  G  without  arms,  and  the  chaplain  on 
horseback, —  a  solemn  and  impressive  service,  more  so  because 
it  is  our  first.  I  told  the  colonel  it  was  not  well  to  make  so  much 
of  a  parade  at  a  funeral.  It  depressed  the  spirits  of  the  men.  A 
few  should  be  detailed  for  this  service  and  not  the  whole  regiment. 
Nothing  can  be  more  sad  or  solemn  than  these  processions,  with 
their  funereal  music,  wending  their  way  to  the  old  cemetery,  whose 
fences  have  been  torn  down,  whose  paths  have  been  grown  over, 
and  the  whole  appearance  of  the  place  telling  of  war  and  its  rav 
ages.  Hundreds  of  U.S.  soldiers  are  buried  here.  A  board  is 
the  only  sign  that  marks  their  resting-place.  On  returning,  the 
52d  was  out  on  the  parade  ground  for  battalion  drill.  As  Dolly 
and  I  felt  well,  I  thought  it  was  a  good  time  to  drill  her  and  my- 


BATON    ROUGE  39 

self  a  little  in  military  tactics,  so,  managing  to  keep  in  the  rear  of 
the  battalion,  we  capered  about  till  I  was  tired.  Before  leaving 
the  ground  there  came  the  long  roll.  "  To  your  posts  !  "  was  the 
order.  And  in  an  instant  the  52d  were  on  the  double-quick  for 
their  position  on  the  parapets.  There  they  stood  for  an  hour, 
when  they  were  dismissed.  I  suppose  it  was  to  give  a  little  prac 
tice,  which  the  men  stood  in  need  of. 

JANUARY  13,  1863. 

My  dear  Wife, —  Hurrah !  hurrah  !  the  long-waited  mail  has 
come  at  last !  An  immense  excitement  over  it  !  The  first  we 
have  received  !  The  letters  are  a  month  old,  but  we  are  glad 
enough  to  get  them.  Continue  to  send  the  newspapers,  and  ask 
your  friends  to  do  so.  They  occupy  a  great  many  odd  moments, 
and,  when  we  are  done  with  them  in  camp,  they  do  good  service  in 
the  hospital.  There  are  many  sad,  weary  hours  among  that  crowd 
of  sick  men  ;  and  newspapers  beguile  them  better  than  anything  else. 

January  17. —  The  most  remarkable  thing  of  the  last  two  days 
has  been  the  very  cold  weather.  I  rarely  suffer  more  than  I  have 
the  last  two  nights.  Thursday  night  was  windy  and  cold,  last 
night  still  and  colder.  The  top  of  the  ground  was  frozen,  and  ice 
formed  as  thick  as  window  glass.  "  Not  bad,"  you  will  say  :  "  a 
Yankee  ought  to  stand  that."  It  is  these  sudden  and  severe 
changes  that  tell  so  hard  upon  the  health  of  men  deprived  of  the 
comforts  of  home.  In  my  last  I  told  you,  I  believe,  that  there  was 
a  young  man  in  Co.  C  —  James  Graves  —  sick  in  the  hospital, —  a 
little,  gentlemanly  fellow,  almost  womanly  in  his  refinement.  He 
lay  on  the  floor  between  two  rough  men,  who  were  very  sick,  one 
of  them  fretful,  complaining,  and  profane.  I  felt  very  sorry  for 
Graves.  He  is  a  Sophomore  in  Yale  College.  I  asked  the  sur 
geon  to  allow  him  to  come  to  my  room,  and  he  was  brought  in  upon 
a  stretcher  yesterday,  and  I  am  taking  such  care  of  him  as  I  can. 
He  is  not  very  sick,  but  needs  quiet  and  care ;  and  these  I  can 
give  him.  Frank  Ball,  also,  is  sick  in  our  room.  Sergt.  Hos- 
mer  is  sick,  and  his  brother  is  taking  care  of  him  in  the  captain's 
room  upstairs.  Last  night  I  was  up  with  Graves  a  good  deal,  es 
pecially  to  keep  up  the  fire.  About  midnight  Rev.  J.  K.  came  to 
my  room,  and  wanted  to  know  if  I  had  some  dry  sticks  of  wood  to 
swap  off  for  some  green  ones.  His  wood  was  burned  up,  and  he 
had  just  come  in  from  chopping  some  green  sticks,  and  wanted 
some  dry  ones  to  kindle.  Mem. —  Ministers  should  get  in  wood 
enough  at  night  to  last  till  morning. 


40  HISTORY   OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

From  Stowell's  journal :  — 

"  Have  been  out  drilling  in  the  manual  of  arms.  We  have  been 
forbidden  to  destroy  any  property.  I  wish  they  would  make  a 
clean  sweep  as  far  as  we  can,  and  not  waste  our  time  and  lives  in 
taking  care  of  that  rebel  truck. 

"Went  out  on  picket  duty  yesterday.  We  are  on  for  twenty- 
four  hours.  One  company  from  each  regiment  go  out  about  three 
miles,  and  are  left,  three  in  a  place,  along  in  the  woods.  Three 
others,  with  myself,  act  as  scouts.  The  orders  to  pickets  are  very 
strict  in  regard  to  firing  a  gun  or  taking  property, —  hens  or  any 
thing  else.  Our  captain  repeated  the  orders  to  us  after  we  were 
posted ;  but  we  thought  we  discovered  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  which 
meant,  'If  you  can  do  anything  and  I  not  know  it,  why,  do  it.'  Just 
at  night  six  pigs  came  into  our  lines,  two  of  which  were  quietly  hung 
up  by  their  heels  in  a  very  few  minutes.  The  next  morning  I  started 
with  my  rifle,  went  outside  the  lines  about  two  miles,  found  a  good 
fat  three-year-old  heifer,  drove  her  into  our  lines,  and  shot  her, 
then,  with  the  help  of  three  or  four  others,  cut  her  up,  put  her  in 
our  haversacks.  We  also  killed  a  shoat  and  a  sheep,  which  we 
put  in  our  sacks,  out  of  sight,  so,  when  we  marched  in  for  inspec 
tion,  we  had  the  appearance  of  being  empty-handed.  Our  captain 
said  not  a  word,  nor  asked  any  questions,  but  ate  his  share  of  the 
pig  this  morning  with  a  good  relish. 

"  We  are  preparing  for  a  big  battle  twenty  miles  above  us  at 
Port  Hudson.  We  expect  a  bloody  fight,  as  the  rebels  are  strongly 
entrenched. 

"  January  13,  1863. —  Yesterday  was  a  happy  day  to  most  of 
us.  We  received  a  mail  for  the  first  time  since  we  left  New  York. 
One  poor  fellow  from  Orange  had  letters  telling  him  his  wife  was 
dead.  He  takes  it  very  hard. 

"  The  folks  at  home  will  never  know  what  the  soldier  has  to 
endure.  Take  my  last  guard,  for  instance.  In  the  first  place,  the 
mud  was  two  or  three  inches  deep,  and  there  we  must  stay  twenty- 
four  hours.  We  have  some  little  tents  to  go  into  half  the  time  ; 
but  we  are  not  much  better  off  for  them,  for  the  rain  comes 
through,  and  the  mud  is  as  bad  inside  as  out.  When  night  comes, 
we  can  stand  up  or  lie  down  in  the  mud  with  all  our  equipments 
on  ;  for  no  one  is  allowed  to  take  them  off  during  the  twenty-four 
hours  he  is  on  guard. 

"  But  we  have  some  good  things  here  to  eat.  Co.  F  drew  a  bar 
rel  of  flour,  and  yesterday  we  had  a  rarity  for  dinner  and  supper. 


BATON    ROUGE  41 

We  took  half  of  it  and  put  it  in  the  big  cauldron  we  make  our 
coffee  in,  and  made  a  minute  pudding.  We  then  took  some  mo 
lasses,  vinegar,  water,  and  made  a  pailful  of  good  sauce. 

"  Last  Sunday  we  thought  the  rebels  had  come,  sure  enough. 
Our  pickets  came  rushing  in,  telling  us  that  they  had  been  sta 
tioned  about  three  miles  out,  and  that  the  rebels  had  appeared  in 
force.  The  long  roll  sounded,  and  we  started  double-quick  for  the 
parapet.  There  we  stayed  under  arms  .until  night,  but  no  rebels 
appeared." 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  - 

Co.  A  are  living  in  clover.  They  are  in  better  health  than 
any  other  company.  They  are  on  provost  duty  in  the  city,  and 
Capt.  Long  is  provost-martial.  On  the  whole,  I  think  the  health 
of  the  regiment  has  improved  within  a  few  days ;  but  we  have 
a  good  many  sick.  I  just  hear  that  Gleason,  of  Co.  B,  is  dead. 
The  colonel  and  Capt.  Stone  dined  with  us  to-day.  We  had  what 
John  Contraband  calls  a  bang-up  dinner,  with  table-cloth  and 
crockery  plates  ;  and  we  have  found  some  plated  silver  forks.  We 
had  chicken,  sweet  potatoes,  brown  bread,  and  a  rice  pudding. 
It  was  a  triumphant^  success,  especially  the  portion  of  the  dinner 
over  which  I  presided.  You  must  look  to  your  laurels,  or  I  shall 
have  a  cook-book  out  before  you  do.  We  bought  two  pounds  of 
butter  for  a  dollar,  strong  enough  to  draw  a  load  of  wood  up  my 
driveway  on  High  Street. 

Jan.  19,  1863. —  I  wrote  a  sheet  on  Saturday,  and  have  not 
had  time  to  write  a  word  since.  We  buried  Gleason  just  at  sun 
set.  These  deaths  have  a  depressing  influence  upon  the  men, 
especially  upon  those  in  the  hospitals.  The  Whitneys  watched 
with  my  two  patients.  I  had  a  good  sleep,  so  as  to  be  ready  for 
my  Sunday  duties.  At  dress j'parade  on  Saturday  I  urged  a  bet 
ter  attendance  on  the  preaching  service,  which  is  entirely  volun 
tary.  I  gave  notice  that  the  service  to-morrow  would  be  at  10.30 
A.M.  I  hurried  up  to  get  my  sick  men  washed  and  laid  back  upon 
the  floor.  About  nine  it  was  announced  that  a  steamer  was  com 
ing.  I  started  some  _men  to  the  levee  to  see  if  there  was  a  mail 
for  us  ;  and,  lo !  they.returned  bearing  a  bouncing  big  one, —  about 
three  bushels, —  whicrTwas  emptied  upon  our  floor,  and  we  went 
to  sorting  it  with  a  will.  At  ten  o'clock  I  sent  to  the  colonel  that 
the  mail  would  be  better  for  the  men  than  my  sermon,  and  that  the 
drums  better  not  beat  the  assembly's  call.  Continue  to  send  the 
newspapers.  After  I  have  read  them,  they  go  to  the  hospital. 


42  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

No  service  to-day,  but  prayers  at  dress  parade.  After  looking  to 
the  sick  boys  and  the  supper,  I  went  to  the  Court  House,  and  had 
a  service, —  about  a  hundred  present, —  then  to  the  hospital,  and 
back  to  quarters  at  nine  o'clock  to  get  the  sick  boys  in  my  room  to 
bed, —  as  we  have  to  call  it, —  though  it  is  upon  the  floor.  I  was 
up  at  twelve,  and  sat  up  three  hours ;  and  Whitney  sat  up  the  rest 
of  the  night.  Arthur  Ball,  Co.  D,  detailed  to  take  care  of  the  chap 
lain  and  his  horse,  is  ill.  So  our  first  care  is  of  him,  so  that  he 
may  be  able  to  take  care  of  his'  brother  Frank,  who  is  pretty  sick. 
Graves  is  better.  If  it  were  not  for  this  sickness,  we  should  be  in 
splendid  condition.  We  begin  to  feel-  quite  at  home  here.  In 
our  room  we  have  added  one  thing  after  another,  till  we  have  as 
much  as  we  can  take  good  care  of.  I  have  to  be  "  orderly  "  for 
the  non-coms.  H.  W.  W.  calls  me  the  widowed  parson  in  care  of 
four  orphan  boys. 

Tuesday  P.M. —  My  time  is  fully  occupied.  Graves  is  better, 
begins  to  take  a  little  broth.  Frank  Ball  is  no  better,  is  wander 
ing  in  his  mind.  The  sickness  in  the  regiment  is  on  the  increase. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  of  our  six  companies  are  sick,  and  as  many 
more  not  well.  Four  companies  in  the  52d  Regiment  are  at 
Plaquemine.  Two  deaths  have  occurred  to-day, —  Hall,  of  Haw- 
ley,  and  Lorenzo  Payne,  both  young  men,  both  dying  of  typhoid 
fever.  It  takes  hold  of  the  young  men  fearfully.  One  funeral  at 
two  this  afternoon,  and  I  am  just  going  out  to  the  other.  I  took 
a  horseback  ride  with  Henry  Whitney,  to  whom  I  am  getting  greatly 
attached.  I  shall  have  to  send  Frank  Ball  to  the  hospital.  I  am 
too  busy  to  take  care  of  him,  and  Arthur  is  not  well  enough  to  do  it. 

January  20,  i  A.M. —  Frank  is  restless  and  delirious.  He  is 
quite  sick.  A  steamer  has  just  arrived,  and  we  hope  for  another 
mail.  The  rumor  is  that  we  are  to  move  in  the  morning.  I  hope 
it  is  not  so,  but  probably  we  are  to  be  sent  further  from  the  river. 
It  is  the  common  opinion  that  our  proximity  to  the  river  is  one 
cause  of  so  much  sickness  among  us. 

We  have  some  fun  withal.  Day  before  yesterday  Lieut.  Hurl- 
bert  was  prowling  about  the  back  kitchen  of  Capt.  Long's  head 
quarters.  He  found  a  nicely  packed  box.  W'ith  an  axe  he 
knocked  the  boards  off,  and  found  the  dinner  service  of  the  estab 
lishment. —  nice  earthen  white  ware.  Coming  into  the  dining- 
room,  he  whirled  our  tin  plates  and  cups  into  the  corner,  and  set 
the  table  out  with  the  new-found  crockery.  So  now  I  sit  down  to 
as  well-furnished  a  table  as  my  wife  has ;  namely,  that  of  the  Sec 
retary  of  State  of  Louisiana. 


IV. 

BATON  ROUGE,  WITH  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  PLAQUEMINE 

EXPEDITION. 

[JAN.  20  TO  FEB.  11,  1862.] 

Corp.  Hosmer  writes  :  — 

"  The  chaplain  was  sick  to-day,  so  T  conducted  the  services  for 
two  of  the  men,  one  a  boy  I  knew  well  at  home, —  Frank  Ball. 
He  will  never  see  again  his  pretty  cottage  home  under  the  trees 
by  the  Connecticut.  We  were  forced  to  bury  them  hurriedly,  for 
it  was  late,  and,  I  fear,  with  a  less  feeling  of  solemnity  than  we 
once  had  on  such  occasions.  Funerals  have  been  so  frequent  of 
late,  sometimes  three  or  four  a  day,  that  they  lose  their  impres- 
siveness.  Most  all  the  deaths  have  been  among  the  boys.  We  do 
not  suffer  as  some  men  of  the  regiments  are  suffering  close  by  us ; 
but  it  is  enough  to  cast  a  shadow,  and  make  us  feel  the  insecurity 
of  life.  But  let  me  turn  from  these  things.  We  are,  after  all,  not 
a  gloomy  set.  The  spirits  of  the  men  are  often  high,  and  there  is 
much  fun  going  forward. 

"  A  great  character  in  the  camp  is  one  Niles,  a  fellow  with  many 
crotchets  in  his  brain, —  too  many  for  it  to  remain  in  a  normal, 
healthy  state.  He  ought  hardly  to  have  passed  a  medical  exami 
nation  ;  but  he  is  a  fellow  of  infinite  jest,  and  his  pranks  and  say 
ings  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  regiment.  He  has  wit.  When 
that  fails,  he  blunders  into  capital  hits,  sparing  no  one,  from  the 
colonel  down.  Seeing  some  officers  looking  at  a  big  hole  in  a 
hollow  tree,  he  came  up,  and  peered  with  his  queer,  whiskered  face 
into  the  hole.  '  That  is  a  big  hole,  Niles,'  said  one  of  the  officers. 
'Yes,'  said  Niles,  'next  time  the  long  roll  is  sounded,  if  it  isn't  full 
of  officers,  I  will  come  here  and  hide.'  By  far  the  most  amusing 
thing  I  have  seen  since  I  became  a  soldier  was  Niles's  parody  of 
Col.  Birge,  of  the  i3th  Connecticut, —  a  veteran  regiment,  which 
went  through  its  admirable  drill  close  to  our  camp,  and  whose 
commander,  at  such  times,  threw  himself  with  unusual  energy  into 
such  work.  I  heard  great  laughter  and  shouting  on  the  parade 
ground  the  other  day,  and,  going  out,  saw  Niles  mounted  on  a 
lean,  long-eared  jackass,  which  he  would  cudgel  with  a  club  until 


44  HISTORY   OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

the  animal  gave  up  his  obstinacy  and  went  off  at  an  ungainly 
gallop.  Niles  rushed  to  one  side  of  the  field  and  then  to  the 
other,  and  roared  out  his  orders,  — '  Close  column  by  division,  on 
second  division  right  in  front ! ' —  then  whack  would  go  the  stick, 
and  Niles,  eager  as  if  in  battle,  would  gallop  off  to  the  other  side  of 
the  field,  —  '  Head  of  column  to  the  left,  deploy  column  on  first  com 
pany  ! '  etc.,  —  an  admirable  caricature  of  the  efficacy  of  Col.  Birge, 
who  was  always  at  full  gallop,  keeping  his  regiment  on  the  double- 
quick.  Niles  drilled  his  imaginary  command  for  some  time,  when 
a  sergeant,  shocked  at  the  indecorum,  started  after  him  at  full 
speed  ;  but  Niles's  time  had  not  yet  come.  As  the  pursuer  ap 
proached,  Niles's  ungainly  steed  reared  and  brayed ;  and,  while 
dodging  his  heels,  the  pursuer  measured  his  length  in  the  mud, 
leaving  Niles,  in  his  shabby  uniform,  to  go  on  caracoling  and 
shouting  his  orders." 

From  Stowell's  journal :  — 

"January  20. —  There  are  six  of  our  company  on  picket  duty, 
and  we  are  stationed  near  together ;  and  I  can  leave  my  post  a 
short  time  if  necessary.  So  I  took  a  man,  and  went  into  the  woods 
near  by.  My  gun  accidentally  went  off,  and  hit  a  cow  right  in  the 
head.  We  took  out  what  six  of  us  could  carry  into  camp  to-mor 
row,  brought  it  near  our  posts,  and  hid  it ;  for  an  officer  will  come 
around  once  or  twice  to  see  if  everything  is  all  right.  Our  rations 
have  been  pretty  hard  lately.  We  should  have  had  nothing  but 
hard-tack.  As  it  is,  we  shall  get  along  well  enough  for  dinner  and 
supper  to-morrow.  I  was  lucky  enough  to  find  an  old  rusty  pan, 
which  I  can  clean  up ;  and  it  will  be  nice  to  fry  our  meat  in. 
When  we  reached  camp  yesterday,  we  found  everything  in  hubbub. 
Tents  were  struck,  baggage  packed,  and  all  the  brigade  ordered 
to  leave  immediately :  where  to,  we  did  not  know  \  but  we  were 
marched  out  of  the  city  about  two  miles,  and  dropped  down  into 
a  mud  hole, —  the  most  unhealthy  place  I  ever  saw.  The  ground 
is  half-covered  with  water.  We  have  got  our  tent  raised  up  and 
floored  in  good  shape. 

"January  22. —  We  went  to  a  rebel's  house  near  by,  took  his 
doors  off  before  his  eyes,  took  his  hammer  and  hand-saw,  some 
sugar  and  a  good  spider,  and  think  ourselves  fixed  up  in  good 
shape.  Of  course,  it  makes  a  man  look  ugly  to  see  us  break  the 
doors  of  his  house  to  make  floors  for  our  tents,  but  might,  with 
rifles  to  back  it,  makes  everything  right.  We  are  most  pleased 
with  our  spider.  We  can  make  most  all  kinds  of  victuals  with  the 
help  of  that. 


BATON    ROUGE  —  PLAQUEMINE    EXPEDITION  45 

"January  24. —  Here  I  am  sitting  by  a  good  fire  in  an  old 
house.  I  am  acting  sergeant.  Have  a  lot  of  men,  part  of  whom 
I  have  picketed  out ;  and  the  rest  are  lying  on  the  floors,  snoring 
like  good  fellows.  I  have  boarded  the  windows,  so  no  light  can 
get  out ;  and  the  wood  in  the  fireplace  is  crackling  in  good  shape. 
We  shall  not  be  cold  to-night ;  for,  when  the  fire  gets  low,  on  goes 
a  chair,  a  door,  or  something  else.  .  I  cannot  help  but  rather  like 
this  business.  A  man  feels  so  independent  and  saucy. 

"  Somebody's  cow  won't  come  up  to-morrow  morning.  I  do  not 
know  whose  it  is ;  but  her  hind-quarters  are  hanging  up  here,  and 
will  form  part  of  our  breakfast.  Usually,  it  is  hard  bread  and  tea 
for  breakfast,  bread  and  water  for  dinner,  and  bread  and  tea  for 
supper  again.  So  we  think  to-morrow  will  be  about  time  for  a 
little  beefsteak. 

"  January  25. —  When  we  got  home  from  picket  duty,  we  found 
Co.  D  was  about  having  a  funeral.  I  laid  aside  my  gun,  put  on 
my  dress  coat,  and  attended.  It  is  unusual  to  have  much  notice 
taken  when  a  soldier  dies ;  but  in  this  case  there  were  two 
brothers,  one  a  corporal  and  the  other  a  sergeant.  The  corporal 
was  a  Unitarian  minister  at  Deerfield.  His  brother  was  taken 
sick  about  a  week  ago  with  the  fever  that  all  have  here.  The  cor 
poral  was  with  him  all  the  time,  and  took  the  best  care  of  him ;  but 
he  had  to  die.  The  corporal  had  a  rough  coffin  made  for  his 
brother.  The  body  was  brought  out,  and  placed  in  a  gun-box. 
The  sergeant's  gun  and  equipments  were  laid  upon  the  coffin,  then 
his  cap,  and  a  little  bunch  of  flowers  at  a  place  opposite  them. 
The  corporal  stood  alone  by  the  coffin  through  the  service.  He 
was  not  the  only  mourner.  It  brought  tears  to  the  eyes  of  nearly 
every  one,  the  colonel  and  the  other  officers  in  particular.  He 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  one  of  the  finest  men  of  the 
regiment.  If  I  have  prayed  a  sincere  prayer,  it  is  that  I  might 
get  home  alive,  and  die  among  my  friends.  If  not,  I  want  to  die 
by  the  bullet,  and  not  by  disease. 

"  Our  chaplain  made  a  speech  to  us  on  dress  parade  last  night, 
and  its  subject  was  '  Cultivate  a  Cheerful  Spirit' ;  and  it  is  just  so. 
If  a  man  makes  the  best  of  everything,  he  will  be  much  happier 
than  if  he  look  on  the  dark  side  all  the  time." 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

January  21. —  This  morning  came  an  order  to  move  about  a 
mile  from  the  river.  Frank  Ball  was  sent  to  the  hospital,  very 
sick.  We  put  Graves  in  the  convalescent  hospital,  in  the  wing 


46  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

of  this  building.  Everything  is  gone  from  the  house,  except  our 
"  duds."  I  expect  to  have  a  long  quiet  night  of  it.  It  is  a  relief 
to  get  rid  of  the  sick  men.  Now  we  are  to  go  back  to  tents 
again.  Ball  and  I  are  to  have  one  to  ourselves, —  a  good  wall 
tent.  Capt.  Long  lends  me  a  confiscated  stove.  It  is  a  great 
deal  more  quiet  here  than  in  the  house  we  have  just  left;  but 
the  men  are  grumbling  about  our  new  location,  it  is  so  wet  and 
swampy.  The  fear  is  that  it  is  not  healthy.  I  am  feeling  very 
well,  nothing  but  a  good  night's  sleep  wanting  to  put  me  in  first- 
rate  condition. 

Friday,  January  23.  Under  a  Magnolia  Tree. —  I  moved  yes 
terday,  and  it  occupied  all  day.  The  ground  here  is  low ;  but  my 
tent  is  very  pleasantly  situated  under  a  big  magnolia,  whose  green 
leaves  are  intertwined  with  the  long,  gray,  pendulous  Spanish 
moss,  which  gives  it  a  very  pleasant  look.  Dolly  is  picketed  the 
other  side  of  the  tree,  and  so  is  my  constant  companion,  day  and 
night.  I  wish  I  could  send  you  a  photograph  of  it.  The  Co.  E. 
boys  put  a  good  floor  into  my  tent,  and  also  a  box  for  me  to  sleep 
in,  which  would  be  very  well  if  it  were  not  so  suggestive  of  a 
coffin.  I  hope  I  can  get  some  hay  to  put  in  before  a  great  while. 

From  the  Gazette  and  Courier  :  — 

January  23,  1863. —  Sunday  was  a  day  of  rejoicing  among  us. 
In  the  morning  a  mail-bag  containing  about  two  and  one-half 
bushels  for  the  52d  was  laid  on  the  floor  of  the  chaplain's  room, 
and  as  soon  as  possible  distributed  among  the  eager  crowd,  impa 
tient  to  get  news  from  home. 

We  have  a  good  deal  of  sickness,  as  you  have  doubtless  heard. 
Seven  have  already  died  of  typhoid  fever.  I  find  that  war  has  its 
two  sides.  If  you  start  from  our  camp  with  two  or  three  compan 
ions,  all  well  mounted,  and  ride  about  this  town  an  hour,  say  from 
4  to  5  P.M.,  about  the  time  for  dress  parade,  hear  the  inspiring 
music  of  the  bands,  the  stirring  bugle-call,  the  martial  drum  and 
fife,  and  see  the  long  lines  of  soldiers,  the  cheerful-looking  camps, 
the  polished  guns  and  well-trained  horses  of  the  batteries,  and 
meet  well-dressed  officers  mounted  on  horses  all  grand  and  ele 
gant,  you  might  fancy  that  going  to  war  was  very  fine,  and  that 
the  young  men  missed  a  great  deal  who  did  not  enlist.  But  stop 
at  that  building  where  you  see  the  red  flag.  It  is  a  hospital  of  the 
52d  Massachusetts  Volunteers.  Mount  the  stairs,  and  look  about 
you.  In  this  room  on  the  right  are  ten  men,  most  of  them  on  the 
floor.  Some  have  boxes  made  in  the  plainest  way  of  a  few  boards. 


BATON    ROUGE  —  PLAQUEMINE    EXPEDITION  47 

Some  of  them  are  filled  with  the  dried  Spanish  moss.  Here  is  a 
man  suffering  with  fever;  the  next  one  has  dysentery;  the  next 
one  is  weak  and  exhausted,  without  any  particular  disease.  Go 
to  the  next  room,  it  is  the  same.  The  third,  and  it  is  a  repetition 
of  what  you  have  seen  before.  Go  across  the  way,  and  you  find 
two  or  three  rooms  with  patients  who  are  recovering.  By  the 
time  you  have  spent  two  or  three  hours  in  these  rooms  you  will 
be  persuaded  that  war  has  its  dark  side, —  dark,  dark  enough. 
Our  regiment  is  weakened,  not  only  by  sickness,  but  by  the  ab 
sence  of  four  companies  down  the  river  and  a  great  many  de 
tailed  men. 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

SATURDAY  EVENING,  Jan.  24,  1863. 

The  last  two  days  have  been  among  the  happiest  and  the  sad 
dest  I  have  experienced, —  happiest  because  I  feel  so  well  and 
am  enjoying  my  mode  of  life  very  much.  Yesterday  we  re 
ceived  a  large  mail  for  our  regiment,  which  was  very  welcome. 
I  said  these  days  were  the  saddest,  too.  The  news  from  Vicks- 
burg  is  very  disheartening.  The  fate  of  that  place  determines 
ours.  In  the  regiment  the  aspect  of  affairs  is  enough  to  make 
men  sober.  The  fever!  oh,  the  fever!  Longfellow's  chapter  in 
"Hiawatha"  just  expresses  it.  We  have  had  three  deaths  within 
twenty-four  hours,  and  I  am  sorry  to  write  that  Edward  Hosmer's 
was  the  last.  He  died  at  ten  o'clock  this  A.M.,  and  is  to  be  buried 
to-morrow  at  ten.  He  was  very  much  beloved  and  respected  by 
his  company  and  the  regiment.  He  was,  you  know,  the  orderly 
sergeant  of  Co.  D.  Thompson,  of  Bernardston,  and  Culver,  of 
Shelburne  Falls,  are  both  dead.  Graves,  whom  I  have  called  my 
little  pet,  was  doing  nicely  when  he  left  me,  but  now  is  not  as  well. 
Lewis,  of  Co.  A,  is  sick;  and  so  is  Merriam.  Horace  Allen  is 
broken  down  with  home-sickness.  To  tell  you  of  to-day  will  tell 
you  how  I  am  spending  my  time.  Rose  at  six,  blacked  my  boots 
(which  is  a  military  requirement  and  no  little  labor  in  this  sticky 
clay),  made  my  bed,  swept  the  floor  of  my  tent,  put  to  rights  gen 
erally,  and  rode  to  town  to  breakfast,  then  to  deliver  letters,  and 
then  to  the  river  to  water  Dolly.  A  boat  had  just  arrived  with  a 
regiment  of  eleven  hundred  negroes, —  a  splendid  regiment,  worth, 
I  believe,  any  two  regiments  on  the  ground.  They  are  officered 
by  colored  men,  which,  I  am  told,  is  likely  to  give  great  offence 
to  the  white  officers  here.  I  sat  for  a  while  to  see  them  disem 
bark,  and  then  to  the  hospital,  where  I  spent  an  hour  and  a  half 


48  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

visiting,  briefly,  every  man  who  was  awake,  and  trying  to  say 
something  to  him  to  cheer  and  help  him.  It  is  a  hard  service,  and 
draws  severely  upon  one's  sympathy.  Then  to  the  post-office  with 
a  haversack  of  letters  I  had  brought  from  camp.  At  one  back 
to  dinner,  and  from  there  to  the  funerals  of  Thompson  and  Cul 
ver,  who  were  buried  together,  and  with  no  escort ;  then  to  see 
J.  K.  H.,  to  make  arrangements  for  Ed's  funeral  to-morrow ;  then 
with  J.  K.  H.  to  the  cemetery,  to  select  a  place  of  interment ; 
back  to  camp  at  four,  to  look  up  the  boys  whose  parents  had  writ 
ten  to  me  concerning  them,  and  at  seven  to  have  a  delightful 
quiet  hour,  writing  this.  I  stayed  with  Hosmer  till  half-past  nine 
last  evening.  He  wanted  I  should  stay  all  night  to  watch  with 
Ed ;  but  I  felt  that  I  needed  the  night  for  sleep,  as  I  am  to  have  a 
very  busy  day  to-morrow.  J.  K.  is  the  manliest  man  there  is  in  the 
regiment.  He  bears  this  trial  nobly,  says  he  should  rather  Ed 
had  fallen  in  battle,  but,  seeing  the  lack  of  nurses,  he  shall  vol 
unteer  for  that  service.  He  has  nursed  Ed  very  tenderly  and  skil 
fully. 

You  talk  of  eating  hard-tack  and  salt  junk  out  of  sympathy,  but 
you  need  not ;  for  I  eat  neither  now.  We  live  well  enough, — 
plainly,  indeed,  but  good  enough.  I  have  put  some  hay  into  my 
box,  and  so  sleep  splendidly.  I  have  told  you  that  the  town  was 
deserted.  It  is  not  so  now.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  have  come 
out  of  their  hiding-places,  and  the  streets  swarm  with  soldiers  and 
negroes.  The  contrabands  come  in  more  freely  than  they  did 
before  the  Emancipation  Proclamation.  I  suppose  people  want 
to  know  of  me  when  we  are  to  move  upon  Port  Hudson,  why  we 
do  not  move  at  once,  how  many  soldiers  we  have,  how  many  the 
rebs  have,  etc.  I  have  one  answer  to  make.  I  know  nothing 
about  it.  I  did  not  come  here  to  plan  or  execute  campaigns,  nor 
to  criticise  those  who  have  that  duty  to  perform.  I  came  to  be 
chaplain  to  the  52d  Regiment,  and  in  doing  this  even  imperfectly 
I  have  all  that  I  can  do. 

The  52d  is  badly  demoralized.  Look  at  it !  Nine  hundred 
and  thirty  when  we  left  Greenfield,  two  hundred  and  fifty  are  at 
Plaquemine,  one  hundred  and  fifty  sick,  fifty  to  take  care  of  the 
sick,  one  hundred  and  fifty  detailed  for  special  service,  leaving  two 
hundred  and  fifty  for  the  available  force  of  the  regiment.  About 
that  number  out  for  inspection  to-day.  The  order  was  given, 
"Field  and  staff  officers  to  the  front!"  The  chaplain  bravely 
marched  in  solitary  majesty  from  the  rear  to  the  front,  and  was  in- 


BATON    ROUGE  —  PLAQUEMINE    EXPEDITION  49 

spected  and  passed  muster.     It  is  bedtime,  and  a  splendid  bed  of 
hay  and  husks  loose  in  the  box. 

Thursday  P.M. —  I  fear  Mr.  Allen  will  not  see  his  son  Horace 
again,  or,  if  he  does,  will  find  little  satisfaction  in  him.  He  is 
losing  his  mind.  He  can  do  nothing.  There  is  nothing  the  matter 
with  him  but  home-sickness.  The  doctor  is  trying  to  get  him  dis 
charged  and  sen:  home.  To-day  we  have  another  funeral,  Samuel 
Cowles's,  Co.  I.  After  my  visit  to  the  hospital  this  morning,  I 
took  a  long  ride  with  the  colonel,  to  visit  all  the  picket  stations. 
Beginning  at  the  river,  they  extend  around  the  whole  city  at  a  dis 
tance  of  a  mile  or  two  from  the  camp.  The  pickets  are  posted  in 
squads  of  three  or  four  together,  and  the  squads  between  twenty 
or  thirty  rods  of  each  other,  so  that  no  one  can  approach  without 
being  seen  and  challenged.  I  enjoyed  the  ride  very  much.  There 
were  a  few  ditches  to  jump,  but  Dolly  leaped  them  bravely.  I  re 
turned  to  attend  Cowles's  funeral. 

UNDER  THE  MAGNOLIA  TREE, 
Jan.  27,  1863. 

.  .  .  Sunday  has  been  a  busy  day  with  me.  Hosmer  wanted  to 
have  the  funeral  of  Ed  out  here  at  the  camp  (he  died  in  the  house 
by  the  river),  and  it  was  arranged  for  10.30.  But  there  was  a 
blunder  about  the  ambulance,  and  they  were  not  ready  till  nearly 
one.  The  service  was  held  in  front  of  my  tent.  The  body  was 
dressed  as  for  dress  parade,  and  looked  quite  natural.  A  hymn 
was  sung,  and  prayer  offered.  The  whole  service  was  very  impres 
sive.  A  procession  was  then  formed,  Co.  A  doing  escort  duty, 
with  arms  reversed  and  drums  muffled  ;  then  the  body  in  an  am 
bulance  ;  then  J.  K.  with  some  white  flowers  in  his  hand,  which  he 
deposited  upon  the  coffin  ;  then  the  officers  and  men  of  Co.  D,  the 
chaplain  on  Dolly,  with  several  soldiers  of  other  companies.  At 
the  grave  Co.  A  attempted  to  fire  a  salute,  but  bungled  it  so  much 
I  did  not  blame  Dolly  for  being  frightened.  After  a  late  dinner  I 
went  to  the  hospital,  read  a  chapter  and  offered  prayer  in  three  of 
the  wards,  and  prayed  with  the  sickest  men  at  their  bedsides. 
Then  back  to  camp  to  preach  a  short  sermon  at  dress  parade  upon 
cheerfulness,  which  some  of  the  men  stand  in  special  need  of. 
The  sickness  does  not  increase  as  to  numbers,  but  it  does  in 
severity.  There  are  from  eighty  to  ninety  reported  sick  every  day 
in  quarters.  Do  you  ask  what  causes  so  much  sickness  ?  I  reply, 
Bad  water,  improper  food,  exposure  to  the  night  air  on  guard  and 


50  HISTORY    OF   THE    52D    REGIMENT 

picket.  You  write  about  my  not  exposing  myself  to  rebel  bullets. 
I  am  ten  times  more  exposed  to  fever  than  to  rebel  bullets.  Last 
night  there  was  a  hard  rain.  It  pattered  nicely  upon  the  roof  of 
the  tent,  and  rattled  the  leaves  of  the  magnolia.  There  are  great 
expectations  on  that  barrel.  We  expect  to  see  it  to-morrow. 

UNDER  THE  MAGNOLIA  TREE, 
January  31. 

.  .  .  The  long-looked-for  box  came  this  afternoon.  It  was 
unloaded  in  front  of  my  tent.  A  great  crowd  soon  gathered 
round,  and  were  full  of  eulogium  upon  the  splendid  packing. 
"There  was  labor  and  skill  in  that,"  was  the  exclamation  from 
many.  Some  of  the  things  sent  amused  us  very  much.  Sugar, 
for  instance,  which  is  as  cheap  here  as  dirt  and  almost  as  plenty. 
Soap  and  candles,  too,  are  furnished  gratuitously  to  all  the  men. 
(There  are  some  inconveniences  in  living  in  a  tent.  I  have  just 
tipped  over  my  inkstand  into  my  slippers.)  Bridget's  apples  came 
as  sound  and  fresh  as  when  they  were  put  up.  You  must  tell  her 
how  much  obliged  I  am  for  them.  I  put  on  the  old  hat  you  sent 
at  once,  label  and  all,  to  the  great  amusement  of  "  the  boys  "  ;  for 
the  contrabands  wear  just  such  hats  with  their  master's  name 
pinned  to  them.  You  must  thank  everybody  for  the  things  sent. 
A  funeral  this  afternoon  of  Marcus  Rowland,  of  Conway.  I 
asked  Mr.  Hosmer  to  attend  it,  for  I  was  quite  worn  out.  Arriving 
at  the  hospital,  he  found  two  more  of  our  men  had  just  died, — 
Frank  Ball  and  Arnold  of  Co.  F.  Mr.  Hosmer  officiated  at  How- 
land  and  Ball's  burial,  the  other  will  be  held  to-morrow.  So  we 
have  had  three  deaths  to-day.  Most  of  those  that  die  are  under 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  I  think  the  doctor  does  his  best  for 
them.  There  are  fewer  new  cases,  and  I  hope  the  worst  is  over ; 
but  to-day  one  man  has  come  down  with  scarlet  fever. 

UNDER  THE  MAGNOLIA  TREE, 
Feb.  2,  1863. 

My  dear  Wife, —  Attended  the  funeral  of  Arnold,  Co.  F.  Had 
service  at  the  hospital,  and  prepared  for  one  at  the  camp;  but  it 
rained  so  hard  I  had  to  give  it  up. 

On  Saturday  Horace  Allen  was  brought  before  the  medical 
directors  to  be  examined  for  a  discharge.  The  novelty  of  the 
place  and  the  hope  of  going  home  excited  the  poor  fellow,  and  he 
brightened  up  and  answered  all  the  questions  asked  him  very 


BATON    ROUGE  —  PLAQUEMINE    EXPEDITION  51 

promptly.  They  put  him  through  the  manual  of  arms ;  and  he  did 
well  in  it, —  better,  Capt.  Long  said,  than  he  had  ever  known 
him  to  do  it  before.  The  result  was  the  directors  told  the  captain 
to  take  his  man  back  and  put  him  to  work.  The  poor  fellow  was 
too  simple  to  be  cunning  or  wise.  With  regard  to  O.  R.,  he  has 
been  as  uncomfortable  a  member  of  Co.  A.  as  they  could  have.  He 
has  shirked  everything,  complained  of  everything.  He  has  done 
his  best  to  make  trouble  between  the  captain  and  his  men ;  and 
now  the  poor  fellow  is  sick,  and  not  a  friend  in  the  regiment  to 
care  for  him  or  pity  him.  He  cries  and  groans,  and  is  the  biggest 
baby  we  have  ;  and  the  boys  only  laugh  at  him.  I  went  to  see 
him  this  morning,  and  told  him  I  thought  a  little  pluck  was  as 
needful  to  bear  a  stomach-ache  as  to  fight  a  battle.  I  don't 
know  how  sick  he  is.  He  thinks  he  is  going  to  die  at  once.  The 
boys  think  one-quarter  of  his  trouble  is  a  cold  and  three-quarters 
hypo. 

Daniel  W.  Lyman  writes  to  the  Northampton  Gazette:  — 

"  We  are  still  a  broken  regiment.  Four  companies  that  have 
been  sent  down  the  river  to  Plaquemine  have  not  yet  returned, 
and  nothing  has  been  heard  from  them  till  this  noon,  when  we 
were  surprised  by  the  sudden  appearance  of  our  orderly  Williston, 
in  good  health  and  spirits,  with  a  handsome  baked  turkey  in  one 
hand  and  a  beautiful  double-barrelled  shot-gun  in  the  other.  The 
turkey  was  just  in  season,  and  went  right  to  the  spot;  for  it  took 
the  place  of  hard-tack.  One  of  the  party  relates  a  foraging  expe 
dition  where  they  took  from  one  place  eighty  chickens  and  five  or 
six  dozen  eggs.  The  planter  owned  a  sugar  plantation,  and  had  on 
hand  about  one  hundred  hogsheads  of  sugar ;  but  the  boys  could 
not  take  that  on  their  backs  very  well,  and  had  to  leave  it  behind. 

"The  regiment  has  left  our  pleasant  location  on  the  bank  of 
the  river,  and  marched  back  a  mile  and  a  half  to  a  dismal-looking 
place.  It  was  no  small  job  to  make  the  spot  inhabitable. 

"  January  22. —  Our  location,  which  looked  so  dismal  when  we 
saw  it  yesterday,  has  been  wonderfully  improved  by  the  use  of  a 
little  Yankee  mettle.  Our  streets  have  been  levelled,  cook-houses 
built,  and  we  are  ready  to  live  again.  Col.  Greenleaf  has  been 
trying  to  get  the  regiment  together;  and,  if  his  perseverance  holds 
out  long  enough,  he  will  doubtless  succeed.  He  has  endeared 
himself  to  the  regiment,  and  will  do  all  he  can  to  make  our  posi 
tion  comfortable.  He  visits  the  hospital  daily ;  and  his  cheering 


52  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

words  and  pleasant  smile  have,  we  doubt  not,  done  more  good 
many  times  than  the  doctor's  medicine.  We  had  a  grand  foraging 
expedition  the  other  day,  and,  among  other  things,  brought  back 
six  or  seven  gallons  of  molasses,  and  had  great  fun  making  *  lasses 
candy.'  If  the  'lasses'  could  have  helped  about  it,  we  should 
have  had  more  fun  still." 

From  Stowell's  journal :  — 

"February  i. —  On  picket  we  stopped  an  old  rebel  going  into 
town  on  horseback.  We  sent  a  man  with  him ;  but  the  man  did 
not  go  more  than  ten  rods  before  he  made  the  old  rebel  get  off 
and  go  on  foot,  while  he  got  on  and  rode. 

"February  15. —  It  is  as  warm  here  as  I  ever  saw  it  in  July  at 
home.  Yesterday  we  had  the  hardest  day's  work  to  do  we  have 
yet  done.  Gen.  Grover  ordered  out  a  train  of  thirty  wagons  to 
confiscate  commissary  stores,  and  called  for  two  hundred  of  the 
best  men  of  the  52d  Regiment  for  an  escort.  We  were  to  go  into 
the  country  about  five  miles  beyond  the  pickets.  We  stood  the 
march  out  very  well,  but  every  man  was  wet  through  with  the 
sweat  and  about  played  out.  The  mules  trotted  most  of  the  way  \ 
and  the  men  were  forced  to  keep  up,  though  the  mud  was  quite 
deep.  We  were  marched  in  in  just  an  hour,  and  such  a  heated 
set  of  men  I  never  saw.  Quite  a  number  fell  out,  and  had  to  be 
sent  for  with  carts,  and  are  now  under  the  surgeon's  care. 

"  Many  are  sick.  Measles  are  plenty,  and  hospital  grows  larger, 
still  we  are  in  good  spirits.  Does  a  mule  bray,  you  see  all  our 
camp  crying  out :  '  A  mail,  a  mail !  The  "  Iberville  "  is  coming! ' 
That  was  our  mail-boat,  and  had  a  very  heavy  whistle  which  could 
be  heard  a  long  way,  and  sounded  very  much  like  the  bray  of  a 
jackass.  Whenever  this  was  heard,  the  chaplain  would  mount  his 
black  horse  and  ride  over  to  the  landing.  Sometimes  he  walked 
back,  the  mare  nearly  covered  with  mail-sacks.  When  the  mail 
was  not  so  large,  he  rode  between  the  sacks;  and  every  man  in 
ca"mp  would  have  the  letters  before  the  chaplain  slept." 

THE    PLAQUEMINE    EXPEDITION. 

"The  morning  of  Jan.  3,  1863,  brought  sounds  of  heavy  firing 
from  Plaquemine,  a  place  twenty  miles  below  Baton  Rouge. 
Rumors  of  a  battle  there,  in  which  gun-boats  were  playing  a  promi 
nent  part,  filled  the  camp.  Orders  came  for  Cos.  C,  G,  H,  and  K 
to  prepare  at  once  to  go  down  the  river  with  three  days'  rations, 
and  re-enforce  our  troops  there.  Excitement  and  bustle  filled  the 


BATON    ROUGE PLAQUEMINE    EXPEDITION  53 

quarters  of  these  companies  as  they  prepared  for  their  first  real 
work  of  soldiers.  About  an  hour  before  sundown,  with  Lieut.  Col. 
Storrs  in  command,  they  went  on  board  the  steamer  '  Morning 
Light/  and  started  down  the  river.  About  seven  o'clock  Plaque- 
mine  was  reached,  and  the  troops  were  landed  under  cover  of  two 
gun-boats,  and  found  the  town  abandoned  by  the  enemy.  The 
companies  were  posted  for  the  night  in  advantageous  positions  in 
different  parts  of  the  town,  and  were  soon  comfortably  housed  in 
deserted  stores  and  other  buildings.  Picket  duty  and  foraging 
occupied  most  of  the  time.  January  9  was  an  exciting  day.  The 
pickets  had  hardly  been  posted  in  the  morning,  when  the  whole 
detachment  was  startled  by  rapid  firing  at  the  bayou  on  the  west 
side  of  the  town.  All  the  companies  were  instantly  under  arms, 
and  went  double-quick  to  support  the  pickets  on  the  roads  leading 
into  town  and  at  the  bayou.  The  rain  was  pouring  in  torrents  all 
the  time.  At  the  bayou  firing  was  brisk  for  a  few  minutes,  and  the 
woods  on  the  opposite  side  contained  many  rebels.  They  finally 
disappeared,  and  quiet  reigned  about  the  town.  The  alarm  was 
caused  by  a  scouting  party ;  for  the  many  rumors  which  had  been 
heard  led  our  boys  to  believe  that  a  strong  attempt  was  to  be 
made  to  drive  them  out  of  town.  On  Sunday,  January  n,  many 
members  of  the  companies,  mindful  of  their  New  England  bring 
ing  up,  went  to  the  Presbyterian  church  to  attend  service.  They 
far  outnumbered  the  natives  in  the  congregation.  The  minister 
announced  that  he  would  not  preach  under  military  restrictions 
(though  no  one  had  imposed  any),  and  that  there  would  be  no  ser 
vices  in  that  house  so  long  as  United  States  troops  occupied  the 
place,  and  dismissed  the  congregation.  Rev.  and  Capt.  Bissell, 
who  was  in  the  congregation  and  who  had  had  some  experience  in 
preaching  at  home,  at  once  arose,  and  announced  that  he  would 
preach  there  in  the  afternoon.  At  the  appointed  hour  he  held  a 
real  New  England  service,  preaching  a  fine  discourse.  On  subse 
quent  Sundays  he  held  services  in  the  same  church,  which  were 
well  attended  by  the  boys,  a  few  natives  venturing  in. 

"A  cavalry  company,  under  command  of  Capt.  Perkins,  came 
into  town  a  day  or  two  after  our  boys,  and  aided  in  picket  duty. 
The  companies  were  but  scantily  supplied  with  rations,  and  forag 
ing  was  indulged  in  on  a  large  scale.  An  abundance  of  chickens, 
geese,  milk,  eggs,  sweet  potatoes,  etc.,  were  brought  into  the  camp, 
and  so  officers  and  men  lived  on  the  fat  of  the  land.  Nearly  all 
of  the  officers  provided  themselves  with  fine  horses.  Foraging 


54  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

expeditions  were  organized  to  cross  the  bayou  and  visit  planta 
tions  two  or  three  miles  away,  in  sight  of  rebel  pickets.  On  the 
23d  of  January  came  the  most  memorable  foraging  expedition  of 
all.  The  stock  of  edibles  was  nearly  out,  and  something  must  be 
done  to  fill  the  larder.  A  lieutenant,  with  twenty  men  from  Cos. 
C  and  G,  started  in  a  new  direction  down  the  river.  About  three 
miles  below  the  town  was  a  fine  plantation  owned  by  a  rebel 
colonel,  his  wife  left  in  charge.  It  was  soon  evident  that  the  boys 
had  struck  a  rich  vein.  Poultry  of  every  kind  was  abundant. 
Pigs  roamed  at  will,  potatoes,  eggs,  and  various  things  good  for 
hungry  men  were  everywhere.  Soon  there  was  such  a  babel  of 
sounds  as  would  have  totally  eclipsed  the  ancient  Babel.  Turkeys 
gobbled,  hens  cackled,  geese  screamed,  pigs  squealed.  Stone 
wall  Jackson's  foot  cavalry  were  nothing  compared  with  the  way 
the  boys  ran  with  all  sorts  of  winged  denizens  of  their  race.  The 
boys  had  the  best  of  the  race  every  time.  Soon  an  enormous  pile, 
fit  to  tempt  the  palate  of  an  epicure,  appeared  in  front  of  the  plan 
tation  home.  An  ancient  African  was  pressed  into  service,  and 
politely  invited  to  hitch  up  a  mule  team.  After  some  excuses  on 
his  part,  and  the  use  of  powerful  arguments  to  show  him  the  folly 
of  these  excuses,  he  was  persuaded  to  accept  the  invitation.  Pres 
ently  he  appeared  on  the  scene,  under  the  protecting  care  of  two 
or  three  of  the  boys,  with  a  mule  as  ancient  as  himself  hitched  to 
what  was  once  a  cart.  Into  this  vehicle,  with  many  a  tug  and 
groan,  went  first  a  full-grown  hog  which  had  accidentally,  or  other 
wise,  run  against  a  Co.  C  bayonet  in  one  of  the  races  above  de 
scribed,  then  went  in  an  almost  countless  number  of  feathered 
contestants  which  had  been  vanquished  in  the  same  race.  Pigs, 
potatoes,  eggs,  sugar,  molasses,  were  piled  in  on  top.  Who  ever 
saw  a  more  miscellaneous  lot  of  edibles  in  one  cart,  or  more  in 
viting  to  hungry  men.  All  previous  foraging  had  been  out-for 
aged.  Everybody  was  loaded  with  the  consciousness  of  having 
had  a  part  in  a  great  achievement.  The  ancient  African  was  just 
mounting  the  cart,  after  ineffectual  attempts  to  decline  an  invita 
tion  to  drive  the  fruits  of  victory  to  town,  and  all  were  assembling 
to  return  to  camp,  when,  lo !  Lieut.  Col.  Storrs,  with  cavalry  Capt. 
Perkins  at  his  heels,  appeared  on  the  scene.  To  his  eager  inquiry, 
'  What  does  all  this  mean  ? '  comes  the  quick  answer,  *  We  are 
carrying  the  war  into  Africa.'  That  hardly  satisfied  the  colonel. 
His  conscience  required  a  money  equivalent  for  the  good  things 
received.  So  he  told  Lieut.  G.  that  he  must  pay  for  all  the  prop- 


BATON    ROUGE  —  PLAQUEMINE    EXPEDITION  55 

erty  the  squad  had  taken.  The  lieutenant  scratched  his  head, 
looked  with  amazement  at  the  contents  of  the  cart,  and  then  at 
the  colonel,  and  finally  told  him  that  his  pocket-book  was  as  empty 
as  the  chicken  roost  on  that  plantation  ;  and  he  must,  for  obvious 
reasons,  decline  to  pay.  The  colonel  then  turned  to  the  men,  and 
told  them  that  they  must  make  up  among  themselves  the  value  of 
all  they  had  taken.  What  a  look  of  blank  amazement  came  on 
every  face  !  The  paymaster  had  not  been  around  since  enlist 
ment.  Continental  soldiers  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution  were 
not  more  destitute  of  money  than  these  men.  Every  man  pro 
tested  that  he  could  not  raise  the  value  of  the  smallest  Confed 
erate  '  shinplaster.'  Then  chimed  in  the  gallant  cavalry  captain. 
'  It  is  a  shame,'  he  said,  'to  forage.  My  men  never  do.'  And 
when  the  lieutenant  told  him  he  was  mistaken,  that  there  was  not 
a  day  in  the  week  and  hardly  an  hour  in  the  day  when  his  men 
did  not  go  inside  the  picket  lines  with  poultry  dangling  from  the 
sides  of  their  horses,  and  that  they  boasted  that  they  had  not 
drawn  a  ration  from  the  government  within  a  month,  he  replied, 
'  But  they  always  pay  for  what  they  take.'  If  the  gallant  captain 
had  not  been  killed  a  few  months  after  in  Port  Hudson,  it  would 
have  been  perfectly  proper  to  characterize  his  statement  as  —  a 
whopper.  Finding  that  his  command  was  impecunious  to  an 
amazing  degree,  the  colonel  ordered  the  whole  proceeds  of  the 
expedition  driven  to  town,  and  turned  over  to  the  acting  quarter 
master,  to  be  issued  as  rations  to  the  men.  Grins  take  the  place 
of  the  troubled  looks  on  the  faces  of  the  men  ;  and  some  one 
called  out,  '  Why,  colonel,  that  was  the  very  thing  we  started  out 
to  do.'  It  would  be  pleasant  to  know  whether  the  colonel  sus 
pected  that  the  splendid  truss  of  chickens  he  helped  dispose  of  the 
the  next  day  at  the  officers'  mess  had  arrived  on  that  old  mule- 
cart.  When  the  colonel  made  some  inquiries  later  in  the  day 
about  the  expedition  and  the  reason  for  it,  he  was  told  that,  when 
Uncle  Samuel  sent  a  detachment  of  his  boys  into  a  hostile  coun 
try  and  then  forgot  to  send  them  rations,  they  could  not  live  on 
air  for  an  indefinite  length  of  time ;  and  his  eyes  were  also  opened 
to  the  fact  that,  for  the  three  weeks  he  had  been  enjoying  the 
splendid  fare  at  the  officers'  mess,  he  had  eaten  nothing  but  for 
aged  rations.  And  we  observed  that  rations  were  more  plentiful 
from  that  time  on. 

"January   27    Pomeroy,  of   Co.   K,  died;  and  on   February   3 
Waite,  of  Co.  C,  also  died.     February  i  the  cavalry  company  was 


56  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

ordered  away;  and  on  February  6  two  batteries  of  the  ist  U.S. 
Artillery  landed  at  Plaquemine,  and  we  felt  easier.  The  next  day 
four  regiments  of  infantry  arrived  from  Baton  Rouge,  under  com 
mand  of  Col.  Payne ;  and  our  companies  received  orders  to  return 
to  the  regiment  by  the  first  boat.  On  the  afternoon  of  February 
8  they  embarked  on  the  « Iberville,'  and  reached  Baton  Rouge 
about  midnight ;  and  the  next  morning  they  rejoined  the  regiment. 
"  Perhaps  it  was  his  experience  at  Plaquemine  that  led  to  this 
story  about  Lieut.  Col.  Storrs.  The  lieutenant  colonel  offered  to 
bet  he  could  take  Port  Hudson  with  the  52d  Regiment  alone. 
When  asked  how  he  would  do  it,  he  replied,  *  Put  them  in  camp 
within  five  miles  of  Port  Hudson,  tell  them  not  to  touch  it,  and 
within  two  weeks  they  would  steal  the  whole  of  it.' " 
From  Jesse  L.  Delano's  journal :  — 

"  One  of  the  most  disagreeable,  dismal,  muddy,  and  rebellious 
places  in  Louisiana  in   1863  was  Plaquemine.     On  the  west  bank 
of  the  Mississippi,  about  twenty  miles  below  Baton   Rouge,  four 
companies  of  the  52d  were  ordered,  and  landed  about  dark  on  the 
evening  of  January  5,  and  found  that  almost  the  entire  population, 
except   the   colored   people,  were   strong   secessionists,  and   had 
aided  the   rebellion  in   many  ways.     Rations  had    not  been   fur 
nished  us.     We  must  provide  them  for  ourselves.     Found  a  place 
which  abounded  in  poultry  of  all  kinds,  and  our  camp  soon  re 
joiced  in  a  stock  of  oranges,  chickens,  ducks,  geese,  and  turkeys. 
We  just  revelled  in  chicken  soup,  roast  turkey,  and  are  not  con 
science-smitten    at    the  way  in  which  we    secured   them;    for  we 
found  the  spirit  of  rebellion  so  strong  that  we  felt  justified  in  get 
ting  what  we  wanted  if  we  could  find  it  in  the  hands  of  traitors  to 
our  beloved  country.     Sugar  plantations  abounded  about  Plaque- 
mine.     Every  one  had  an  extensive  sugar  mill,  and  its  storehouses 
filled  with  sugar  and  molasses.     We  all  had  a  weakness  for  sugar, 
and  the  government's  supply  of  three  ounces  a  day  seemed  to  us 
unnecessarily  small.     One  planter  who  lived  near  the  village  came 
and  claimed  to  be  a  Union  man,  and  was  afraid  the  rebels  would 
steal  his  sugar,  of  which  he  had  a  large  quantity  in  his  storehouse. 
The  colonel  granted  him  liberty  to  draw  it  to  the  wharf,  and  send 
it  to  New  Orleans.     Eighty  hogsheads  of  it  were  then  drawn  and 
unloaded  on  the  wharf,  and  waited  for  the  steamer  to  come  along 
and  take  it  aboard.     The  boys  wanted  at  least  one  hogshead  of 
that  sugar  for  their  use  ;  and,  while  the  soldier  on  guard  was  walk 
ing  in  one  direction  and  looking  steadily  ahead,  six  or  eight  of  the 


BATON    ROUGE PLAQUEMINE    EXPEDITION  57 

boys  laid  hold  of  a  hogshead  and  rolled  it  rapidly  away  in  the 
other  direction,  where  other  men  waited  with  boxes  and  barrels, 
to  which  the  sugar  was  rapidly  transferred,  to  carry  to  our  quar 
ters.  The  empty  hogshead  was  rolled  into  the  river  and  floated 
down  the  stream.  The  next  day  a  search  was  made  for  one  miss 
ing  hogshead  of  sugar,  but  nothing  could  be  found  of  it;  for  it 
was  securely  hid  under  the  piazza  floor  of  the  house  occupied  for 
our  quarters.  We  learned  afterward  that  the  owner  of  the  whole 
cargo  proved  to  be  a  traitor,  and  the  government  confiscated  and 
took  the  whole  amount  when  it  arrived  at  New  Orleans.  Another 
planter  by  the  name  of  Desoby  applied  to  the  provost-marshal 
for  a  guard,  so  that  the  negroes  and  the  soldiers  could  not  carry 
away  his  sugar.  He  claimed  to  be  a  strong  Union  man.  The 
provost-marshal  sent  a  guard  on  the  condition  that  he  would  give 
them  flour,  and  furnish  them  sweet  potatoes,  meat,  and  poultry  as 
often  as  they  wished.  Delano  and  Whitmore  were  detailed  to 
guard  the  sugar.  They  stayed  two  days ;  but,  finding  the  old  man 
did  not  keep  his  part  of  the  bargain,  they  returned  to  camp,  leav 
ing  the  sugar  unguarded.  He,  finding  that  his  sugar  was  rapidly 
disappearing,  went  and  implored  the  provost-marshal  to  send  back 
the  guard,  and  he  would  furnish  everything  he  had  agreed  to. 
They  were  accordingly  sent  back,  and  immediately  drove  off  the 
negroes  that  were  stealing  the  sugar.  The  old  man  was  so  thank 
ful  he  said  they  might  each  of  them  have  a  barrel  of  sugar.  So 
they  procured  two  of  the  largest  barrels  they  could  find,  got  a 
darky  to  tamp  the  sugar  while  they  shovelled  it  in  till  the  barrels 
were  full.  The  next  day  the  old  man  got  permission  to  ship  the 
whole  lot  to  New  Orleans ;  but  he  was  soon  arrested  for  aiding 
the  enemy,  and  the  government  confiscated  all  his  sugar.  The 
steamboat  captain  kindly  took  Whitmore's  and  Delano's  barrels 
to  New  Orleans  free  of  expense,  and  delivered  them  to  Gen.  An 
drews  to  send  on  to  the  late  Rev.  Erastus  Andrews,  of  Sunder- 
land ;  and  by  him  they  were  shipped  to  a  friend  at  New  York,  and 
eventually  arrived  home  when  sugar  was  selling  at  20  cts.  per  Ib." 

BATON  ROUGE,  February  u. 

Mr.  Eastman, —  I  have  no  report  to  make  of  battles  lost  or  won. 
It  has  not  been  the  fortune  of  the  52d  yet  to  meet  the  enemy.  Yet 
do  not  fancy  that  we  lead  an  idle,  listless  life  here.  On  the  con 
trary,  our  camp  is  usually  a  hive  of  busy  industry.  When  we  came 
on  our  present  camping  ground,  it  wore  a  most  unpromising  look. 


eg  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

It  was  low  and  swampy,  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  under 
brush  and  brambles  and  a  few  large  trees.  Now  everything  is 
cleared  up  except  the  large  trees,  and  several  of  them  have  fallen ; 
and  we  have  a  neat,  picturesque  camp.  We  are,  apparently,  doing 

nothing, that  is,  we  have  made  no  forward  movement ;  and  you  at 

home  are  asking  very  impatiently  why  we  do  not  move  on  Port 
Hudson.  Let  me  answer  your  question  by  asking  another. 
"  Have  you  a  solid  stone  wall  on  your  premises  ?  Why  don't 
you  get  up  some  fine  morning,  and  go  and  butt  your  head  against 
that  stone  wall  ?  "  It  would  not  pay,  would  it  ?  Neither  would  it 
pay  for  us  to  butt  our  heads  against  the  strong  fortifications  of 
Port  Hudson.  We  are  not  ready  yet  for  such  a  movement.  The 
health  of  the  regiment  is  improving,  though  there  are  sixty  re 
ported  sick  in  the  hospital  and  seventy  in  quarters.  There  have 
been  three  deaths  to-day. 

The  box  that  was  sent  from  Greenfield  came  through  safely  in 
a  little  more  than  two  weeks,  and  was  cordially  welcomed.  Half 
of  the  articles  were  spoiled.  Some  pies  had  outlived  their  useful 
ness  when  they  arrived.  It  needs  to  be  repeated  that  pies,  cakes, 
and  jellies  are  not  worth  their  cost  to  send  to  the  soldiers.  It  will 
be  gratifying  to  the  friends  of  Co.  A  to  know  that  there  has  not 
been  a  death  in  their  company.  They  have,  however,  just  now 
more  cases  of  measles  than  any  other  company.  The  regiment  are 
generally  in  good  spirits. 

D.  W.  Lyman  writes  to  the  Northampton  Gazette :- 

"February  n.—  The  report  had  spread  that  the  four  companies 
were  to  return  to-day.  When  they  came  up,  they  were  greeted  with 
three  hearty  cheers.  They  speak  in  glowing  terms  of  the  land  of 
Plaquemine,  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey. 

"  The  question  has  been  for  some  time  past  and  is  now  discussed, 
'  Is  it  best  to  arm  the  negroes,  and  will  they  make  good  soldiers  ?' 
To  the  above  question  my  answer  would  be  in  the  affirmative, 
have  been  very  much  disappointed  in  the  negro  population  in  this 
part  of  the  country.  They  are  more  intelligent  as  a.  class  than  I 
expected  to  find  them.  A  portion  of  them  are  industrious,  with  a 
deal  of  common  sense  ;  and  many  want  to  go  in  and  help  what  they 
can  toward  putting  down  the  rebellion,  and  I  hope  they  will  have  a 
chance  to  do  so  before  long. 

"March  12.— Our  regiment,  and  indeed  the  whole  army,  has 
been  on  the  qui  vive  for  the  last  three  or  four  days,  waiting  for  the 


BATON    ROUGE PLAQUEMINE    EXPEDITION  59 

order  to  march ;  and  on  Wednesday,  after  everything  was  packed, 
the  cooks  were  ordered  to  prepare  two  days'  more  rations,  which 
was  done  and  we  were  ready  to  march.  But  it  turned  out  not  to  be 
a  march  to  Port  Hudson,  but  a  grand  review,  after  which  we  re 
turned  to  camp  with  orders  to  be  ready  to  move  at  twenty  minutes' 
notice.  Tuesday  morning  Co.  A  rejoined  the  regiment,  and  com 
panies  are  once  more  together,  but  not  all.  Thirty  who  went  into 
camp  with  us  now  rest  beneath  the  sod,  and  will  nevermore  return 
home  to  receive  a  happy  welcome." 

On  Thursday,  the  i2th,  everything  seemed  to  be  ready  for  a 
start.  "Now,"  said  the  boys,  "we  will  see  what  Port  Hudson  is 
made  of."  All  superfluous  baggage  has  been  sent  to  the  rear. 
The  order  to  "  fall  in  "  was  given  about  nine  o'clock.  The  52d  boys 
bravely  shouldered  their  knapsacks,  containing  only  what  they 
thought  indispensable,  swung  over  one  shoulder  the  haversack 
filled  with  two  days'  rations,  and  over  the  other  the  cartridge-box 
with  forty  rounds  of  ammunition,  and  were  confident  that  they 
could  march  to  Port  Hudson,  twenty  miles  away,  capture  it,  and 
return  the  next  day.  The  bands  played  their  best,  and  on  we 
start.  But  how  is  this  ?  The  column  is  headed  to  the  south  : 
Port  Hudson  is  supposed  to  lie  in  the  opposite  direction.  At  last 
it  entered  our  heads  that  it  was  a  grand  review  we  had  come  for, 
and  no  march  on  Port  Hudson  after  all ;  and  a  grand  review  it 
was, —  very  pleasant  to  those  on  horseback  who  did  not  get  un 
horsed  in  jumping  a  deep  ditch,  very  tiresome  to  those  on  foot 
who  had  some  forty  pounds'  weight  to  carry.  We  marched  about 
in  the  heat  for  two  hours,  and  then  back  to  camp,  more  wearied 
and  no  wiser  than  when  we  left  it. 

From  Hosmer's  "  Color  Guard  "  :  — 

"  The  other  day  I  watched  Nims's  battery  at  drill.  The  cannon 
and  caissons  are  all  out.  I  pass  in  front  of  the  muzzles  that  they 
have  drawn  up  for  a  start.  To-day  Capt.  Nims  does  his  own 
bugling.  '  Toot !  toot ! '  a  chain  of  notes,  and  then  all  go  on  the 
gallop.  '  Toot !  toot ! '  now  they  stop  and  limber.  *  Toot !  toot ! ' 
off  again  by  the  right  flank.  Swords  waving,  harnesses  jingling, 
and  horses  kicking  with  the  excitement.  All  done  to  a  little  chain 
of  clear  bugle-notes.  Every  horse  as  ready  as  if  those  notes  lin 
ger  on  in  some  way  to  that  great  rattling  of  the  battery.  Rather 
ungracious  business,  Capt.  Nims,  blowing  your  own  trumpet,  but 
you  do  it  very  well. 

"  We  are  at  last  ready  for  a  start.     Gen.  Banks  comes  up  with 


60  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

a  multitudinous  staff.  Now  is  the  time  for  splendid  steeds, — 
coursers  fitted  for  an  Homeric  chariot,  like  the  war-horse  of  Job, 
his  neck  clothed  with  thunder, —  arching  necks,  prancing  limbs, 
fetlocks  spurning  the  furrow,  blacks  and  grays  prancing  and  rear 
ing  from  well-filled  cribs ;  for  each  horse  has  had  his  nose  in  a  gov 
ernment  crib.  Banners  droop,  drums  roll  a  salute.  The  general 
removes  his  cap.  He  is  splendid ;  his  staff  behind  splendid,  glit 
tering  with  bullion  and  lace.  All  is  splendid.  But  the  color  guard 
thinks  it  is  rather  hard  work  to  look  at  even  a  splendid  spectacle 
in  heavy  marching  order.  Down  the  line  on  a  full  canter  now 
come  the  general  and  his  brilliant  staff.  After  they  are  passed, 
the  whole  division  defiles  before  them,  regiment  behind  regiment 
drooping  its  '  good-morning  '  to  the  general  in  its  dipping  colors  as 
the  lines  wheel,  pass  before  him,  receiving  a  wave  of  his  cap  in  re 
turn,  horn  and  bugle,  drum  and  fife,  filling  the  air  with  glorious 
sound,  the  great  host,  with  rhythmic  foot-beat,  moving  mightily 
onward." 


I 


V. 

BATON    ROUGE. 

[FEB.  12  TO  MARCH  13,  1863.] 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

UNDER  THE  MAGNOLIA  TREE, 
Feb.  12,  1863. 

Attended  the  funeral  of  Sykes,  of  Co.  D.  I  stopped  at  the 
express  office  with  a  package  of  money  for  you  to  distribute.  I 
am  really  running  an  express  office  with  packages  of  money,  espe 
cially  for  the  men  in  the  hospital.  The  measles  have  broken  out, 
and  we  are  having  many  cases.  Graves  is  much  better.  The 
general  impression  now  is  that  a  movement  is  soon  to  be  made. 

February  15. —  I  have  not  written  to  you  since  yesterday.  The 
rain  is  pouring  upon  the  roof,  and  very  few  are  stirring;  but  I 
have  had  a  pleasant  evening.  Lieut.  Kellogg  came  in,  and  we 
entered  upon  a  theological  discussion.  Presently  the  colonel 
came  in,  and  shortly  after  the  major,  and  we  had  a  very  interesting 
talk  for  more  than  an  hour,  sitting  in  the  dark.  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  Dolly  is  behaving  very  badly.  She  pulls  with  all  her  might, 
and  breaks  everything  she  can.  Yesterday  I  tied  her  to  a  tree. 
She  pulled  all  she  could,  and  I  let  her  pull  and  went  about  my 
business.  When  in  the  hospital,  a  darky  rushed  in,  and  said, 
"Chaplain,  your  horse  has  got  killed  e'enmost, —  got  down,  and 
couldn't  get  up."  "What  happened  then?"  I  said.  "Oh,  me 
and  nudder  white  man  helped  her  up."  She  was  a  sorry  picture, 
indeed.  She  had  thrown  herself  into  the  mud  of  the  gutter,  and 
was  completely  covered  with  it  from  head  to  tail,  as  were  the  sad 
dle,  poncho,  and  haversack  which  I  usually  carry  attached  to  the 
saddle.  She  had  become  entangled  with  the  bridle  and  halter, 
and  would  have  died  if  she  had  not  been  released.  I  did  not  ride 
her  back  to  camp ;  for  the  inference  would  have  been  that  the 
chaplain's  horse  had  been  in  the  gutter,  even  if  the  chaplain  had 
not.  I  don't  know  what  I  shall  do  with  the  jade.  I  must  have  a 
horse.  I  cannot  do  without  one.  She  never  looked  better  nor 
felt  better  than  she  has  to-day.  Last  night  Lieut.  Col.  Storrs 
came  in  to  say  that  he  had  been  to  Gen.  Grover's  headquarters 


62  HISTORY    OF   THE    520    REGIMENT 

and  obtained  a  pass  for  me  to  go  to  New  Orleans  to  carry  various 
packages  of  money  for  the  boys,  who  had  just  been  paid  off.  I 
wanted  to  go  very  much ;  but  I  said,  "  No :  I  am  the  minister  of 
the  52d  Regiment,  and  must  be  with  it  on  Sunday  unless  detained 
by  sickness."  So  Capt.  Long  went. 

I  had  prayers  in  four  wards  of  the  hospital,  and  then  back  to 
camp  to  have  a  grand  sing,  some  forty  or  so  joining.  Then  a 
shower  came  up,  and  there  was  no  dress  parade,  and,  of  course,  no 
service.  So  it  goes :  no  Sunday  in  war  is  a  true  maxim.  Dr.  R. 
stole  —  I  mean  confiscated  —  a  Life  of  Theodore  Clapp,  which  I 
am  reading  with  great  interest.  It  is  almost  too  early  to  see  the 
full  beauty  of  the  Southern  spring.  The  magnolia  is  in  blossom. 
So  are  the  peach  and  cherry  trees.  The  lizards  take  a  great  fancy 
to  our  tent.  They  run  up  through  one  crack  and  off  again 
through  another,  as  though  they  were  having  a  game  of  hide-and- 
seek.  Ball  cut  off  the  tail  of  one  the  other  day,  and,  when  he 
comes  up,  we  always  recognize  him  by  his  peculiar  wiggle.  They 
are  nice  little  creatures,  about  six  inches  long,  brilliant  red  color. 
In  a  pond-hole  close  to  our  camp  a  queer  "  varmint "  was  killed 
last  night.  We  didn't  quite  make  out  whether  it  was  an  eel  or  a 
snake.  Cuffee  said  it  was  a  "  pizen "  snake.  "  Do  they  ever 
bite  ?  "  "  Yes,  Massa,  bit  a  woman  down  at  Massa  Jones's  planta 
tion  last  summer."  "  Did  the  woman  die  ? "  "  No,  Massa,  the 
woman  didn't  die :  the  snake  did."  The  subject  gives  rather  a 
crawly  sensation  upon  getting  into  bed,  lest  such  vermin  may 
have  got  the  start  of  you ;  and,  if  one  thinks  of  it  in  the  morning, 
he  is  tempted  to  turn  his  boots  up  and  shake  them  before  he  pulls 
them  on.  These  will  be  interesting  items  for  mother.  I  told  you 
the  other  day  of  a  splendid  negro  regiment  that  had  recently  ar 
rived.  A  large  proportion  of  the  officers  were  blacks  or  mulattoes. 
These  have  all  been  dismissed,  and  their  places  rilled  with  white 
men.  This  is  out  of  deference  to  the  prejudices  of  New  York 
officers,  who  would  not  meet  these  blacks  on  terms  of  equality. 
The  effect  will  be  to  cripple  this  regiment  and  others  that  might 
easily  be  formed.  I  don't  see  why  a  negro  should  be  accounted 
so  much  better  than  a  white  man  that  he  cannot  be  allowed  to  be 
shot  at  and  killed  if  he  wants  to  be,  but  must  be  held  back  and 
white  men  put  in  his  place.  We  have  not  yet  reached  any  appre 
ciation  of  the  moral  aspects  of  this  conflict. 

February  20. —  Late  in  the  evening  the  welcome  scream  of  the 
steam  whistle  announced  the  arrival  of  a  boat.  Although  the  men 


BATON    ROUGE  63 

had  turned  in  for  the  night,  the  camp  was  astir  in  a  moment.  "  A 
mail !  a  mail  has  come  !  Chaplain,  a  mail  has  come  !  "  So  Ball 
and  Dolly  were  posted  off  to  town  to  secure  a  large  mail.  A  good 
portion  of  the  night  was  spent  in  distributing  it.  I  have  no  stir 
ring  news  to  write.  I  am  very  well,  enjoying  my  life  better  than 
before.  I  prefer  the  tent  to  the  house  we  left.  We  have  so  much 
more  order  and  quiet.  Ball  keeps  things  well  picked  up,  and  we 
are  by  ourselves.  About  Dolly, —  well,  we  have  come  to  a  com 
promise.  She  is  not  to  pull,  and  to  stand  tied  or  untied,  as  I 
please,  on  condition  that  I  do  not  tie  her  with  a  rope.  So  I  have 
a  little  yard  at  the  hospital  into  which  I  turn  her  without  tying. 
So  we  are  at  peace  again.  The  sickness  is  abating,  I  hope,  though 
the  number  of  cases  holds  good.  Slate  is  better.  Sparhawk  is 
growing  as  fat  as  a  cub.  Browning  is  well.  Mason  Moody  looks 
to  me  in  better  health  than  I  ever  saw  him.  There  is  a  good  deal 
of  complaint  in  certain  quarters  which  I  will  not  speak  of,  and  I 
have  a  sight  of  smoothing  to  do  for  men  who  come  to  me  with 
their  complaints.  There  is  fearful  mortality  in  our  regiment.  We 
have  lost  twenty-three  men  and  have  not  seen  a  rebel  soldier. 
The  4ist  Massachusetts  Regiment  came  out  with  us,  and  has  lost 
but  two  men.  The  24th  Connecticut  has  lost  but  two.  The  gath 
ering  of  gun-boats  means  something,  but  the  news  is  saddening 
enough  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  I  hope  something  will 
be  done  somewhere  and  somehow  to  give  us  a  ray  of  hope.  Pa 
triotism  is  sadly  below  par  just  now  with  us.  Every  plan  of  late 
has  miscarried.  Still,  I  am  bound  to  be  hopeful  as  to  the  grand 

issue  of  the  war. 

FEBRUARY  21,  1863. 

My  dear  Wife, —  I  have  sent  home  to  you  a  great  deal  of  money 
for  the  boys.  I  am  almost  sorry  I  have  undertaken  it.  Thefe  is 
so  much  danger  from  rebel  privateers.  But  it  is  gone,  and  there 
is  no  recall.  Our  mess  must  move.  The  house  is  wanted  for 
some  one  else.  So  our  marble-top  tables  and  mahogany  chairs  and 
our  nice  crockery  and  plated  forks  are  all  repacked,  that  we  may 
leave  them  in  good  condition. 

Sunday  Evening. —  I  have  been  busy,  as  usual.  The  measles 
have  broken  out  among  us,  and  a  great  many  men  are  sick  in  very 
unsuitable  quarters.  I  went  there  to  have  a  religious  service ;  but 
the  place  smelled  so  bad  that  I  gave  up  my  purpose  and  called  up 
the  surgeon,  who  was  not  yet  out  of  bed,  though  it  was  the  middle 


64  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

of  the  forenoon,  and  had  a  conference  with  him  about  finding  a 
larger  house  for  this  class  of  patients.  Then  to  the  regimental 
hospitals,  where  I  held  a  brief  service.  Then  a  ride  about  the 
city,  in  search  for  a  proper  house  for  a  measles  hospital.  I  think 
I  found  just  the  right  thing. 

Monday  Evening. —  A  beautiful  day.  Visited  the  hospitals  as 
usual.  Went  with  Dr.  Patterson  to  see  about  a  measles  hospital. 
We  found  an  empty  building  which  is  just  the  thing.  I  had  a 
squad  of  men  detailed  to  remove  the  sick  men  there.  Then  to  a 
chaplain's  meeting,  which  is  held  every  Monday  morning.  I  have 
become  very  much  interested  in  these  meetings.  The  chaplain  of 
the  22d  Maine  attended  four  funerals  yesterday.  That  regiment 
has  lost  forty  men,  and  has  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  sick. 

"Baton  Rouge,  February  24. —  Sunday  was  the  anniversary  of 
They  have  suffered  more  than  we.  It  is  the  only  regiment  that  has. 
Washington's  birthday,  and  some  of  the  regiments  had  the  holiday 
in  honor  of  the  event  yesterday ;  and  the  soldiers  amused  them 
selves  by  foot-racing,  climbing  a  greased  pole,  and  various  other 
ways.  Business  at  the  jail  has  been  good  for  the  past  two  or 
three  weeks,  since  the  paymaster's  arrival.  There  are  those  who 
will  get  drunk  if  they  can  get  liquor.  As  a  consequence,  they  get 
locked  up  in  the  jail.  I  am  happy  to  say  that  none  of  the  52d 
boys  have  been  arrested  for  drunkeness.  I  had,  or  rather  took, 
time  to  stop  at  the  camp  of  the  52d  and  hear  our  chaplain  preach 
a  sermon  on  the  text,  'Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall 
see  God,'  —  the  first  sermon  I  have  heard  for  weeks.  There  are  a 
good  many  sick  in  the  hospital,  and  they  have  as  good  care  as  we 
are  able  to  furnish  them." — E.  H. 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

MARCH  i,  1863.    SUNDAY  EVENING. 

Yesterday  we  buried  Morton,  of  Co.  I.,  the  twenty-first  death 
since  we  landed.  At  2  P.M.  we  assembled  for  service,  two  hun 
dred  or  so  present ;  and  I  preached  from  Exodus  iii.  5.  After 
we  were  through,  men  stopped  for  a  while  to  sing ;  and  one  came 
to  me  to  know  what  my  opinion  was  upon  some  points  of  theology 
that  he  discovered  in  my  discourse.  I  told  him.  Of  course,  he 
did  not  agree  with  me,  so  we  had  an  argument ;  and  a  crowd 
gathered  round.  The  indications  are  revived  of  a  speedy  move 
ment  somewhere.  The  men  are  impatient  for  it.  We  have  lived 
a  weird,  monotonous  camp  life  for  three  months.  We  have  been 
long  enough  in  this  swamp,  and  long  for  the  excitement  of  a 


BATON    ROUGE  65 

change,  even  if  it  bring  increased  danger  and  hardships.  It  is  a 
splendid  night,  and  tattoos  are  sounding  from  all  sides.  Such  a 
rattling  of  drums  you  never  heard.  There  is  a  great  deal  that  is 
very  showy  and  exciting  about  this  kind  of  life,  but  I  do  not  care 
how  soon  it  is  over.  The  war  need  not  be  prolonged  a  day  on  my 
account.  I  found  a  lizard  in  my  bed  to-night,  but  he  was  as  glad 
to  get  out  as  I  was  to  have  him.  The  great  business  of  our  regi 
ment  now  is  getting  and  sending  letters.  In  this  we  have  the  pre 
eminence.  Our  mails  are  estimated  by  bushels,  those  of  other 
regiments  by  pecks. 

MARCH  5. 

.  .  .  Yesterday  was  a  great  day  for  the  52d.  A  mail  had  arrived 
during  the  night.  I  secured  the  loan  of  an  old  horse  (Dolly  is  too 
lame  to  use)  and  four  of  Co.  A  boys.  We  found  two  big  bags  for 
us,  which  we  swung  over  the  nag ;  and,  while  I  led  the  horse,  two 
of  the  boys  on  each  side  steadied  the  bags.  We  marched  up  to 
camp  where  our  arrival  was  hailed  with  much  rejoicing,  expressed 
by  the  familiar  phrase  :  "  Hurrah  for  the  mail !  Hurrah  for  the 
chaplain  ! "  I  know  you  are  anxious  about  the  fever.  I  have 
been  as  careful  as  I  know  how  to  be.  It  would  not  be  hazarding 
too  much  to  say  that  at  least  one-half  of  the  cases  of  sickness  and 
death  is  to  be  attributed  to  some  carelessness  on  the  part  of  the 
men.  It  is  strange  how  they  will  eat  anything  and  everything  they 
can  lay  hold  of,  in  spite  of  all  the  warning.  On  the  whole,  the 
health  of  the  regiment  is  improving.  To-day  we  have  fifty-three 
in  the  hospital,  one  hundred  and  three  reported  sick  in  quarters. 
Of  these  about  twenty  are  recovering  from  the  measles.  Hill- 
man,  of  Co.  I,  died  yesterday.  This  morning  I  found  at  the 
quartermaster's  office  a  package  from  home,  sent  by  Dr.  Ingersoll, 
who  forwarded  it  from  New  Orleans.  Ball  thinks  my  stock  of 
handkerchiefs  and  towels  is  quite  too  large.  So  I  took  those  that 
came  this  morning  and  went  through  the  hospital,  where  I  found 
several  men  who  had  lost  their  solitary  towel  and  handkerchief.  I 
soon  disposed  of  all  my  stock. 

We  have  been  having  quite  an  excitement  for  a  few  days  about 
an  order  which  has  come  to  be  ready  to  move  at  once.  We  expect 
to  be  off  somewhere  very  soon,  but  as  yet  nothing  has  come  of  it. 
There  is  something  in  the  wind, —  I  cannot  guess  what.  Dolly  is 
getting  over  her  lameness,  but  is  ugly  as  sin ;  shies  at  all  sticks  of 
wood  by  the  roadside,  and  does  what  Adam  did  generally.  What 
did  Adam  do?  He  raised  Cain,  did  he  not?  She  is  a  spoiled 


66  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

child, —  spoiled  by  having  her  own  way.  The  trouble  with  her  is 
that  she  is  naturally  of  a  timid  and  retiring  disposition.  She 
was  bred  for  peace,  not  war ;  but  she  will  get  used  to  it  if  I  sell 
her,  as  I  am  disposed  to,  into  the  artillery  service.  The  letters 
from  home  speak  continually  of  my  hardships.  I  don't  see  them. 
The  fact  is,  I  am  living  an  easier  life  than  at  home.  I  ride  about 
two  or  three  hours  a  day,  visit  two  or  three  hospitals,  sit  in  my  tent 
and  talk  with  the  boys,  who,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  are  much  more 
disposed  to  come  in  here  and  talk  with  the  minister  than  they 
are  at  home.  I  write  letters,  and  read  the  newspapers, —  not  a 
very  hard  task,  and  nothing  to  make  a  martyr  of.  So  don't  waste 
any  sympathy. 

They  are  bringing  a  lot  of  gunpowder  here,  and  are  experiment 
ing  with  twenty-pound  Parrotts ;  and  close  by  us  the  muskets  are 
rattling  away  vigorously.  I  told  the  doctor  I  thought  they  were 
wasting  too  much  powder.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  they  might  just  as 
well  be  killing  somebody  with  it."  Professional,  was  it  not  ? 

MARCH  6. 

.  .  .  You  spoke  of  seeing  Mrs.  Dodge,  whose  husband  is  in  Co. 
D.  He  is  a  very  sick  man,  in  the  general  hospital. 

MARCH  9. 

.  .  .  To  go  back  to  yesterday,  I  went  to  inspection  at  nine,  and 
at  eleven  to  the  cemetery,  to  attend  the  funeral  of  Alonzo  Dodge, 
He  died  on  Saturday  at  the  general  hospital,  to  which  he  was  sent 
on  Friday.  He  was  from  South  Deerfield.  His  death  seems  very 
sudden  and  sad.  He  had  the  shortest  sickness  of  any  one.  He 
was  a  stout,  good  looking  man.  As  soon  as  that  service  was  over, 
we  had  another  for  Johnson,  of  Co.  K.  On  Saturday,  too,  we 
buried  Farnham,  of  Buckland.  Then  to  camp,  to  have  a  service 
there  j  but  it  was  so  hot  and  windy  I  had  it  postponed  to  evening. 
Orders  have  come  to  have  everything  packed  and  stored  away. 
We  have  orders  to  carry  with  us  our  blankets  and  overcoats,  and 
to  be  ready  to  start  at  3  P.M.  ;  but  it  is  now  8  P.M.,  and  we  are  not 
off  yet.  Where  we  are  going  I  do  not  know  ;  but,  without  doubt, 
our  ultimate  aim  is  Port  Hudson.  We  shall  probably  have  some 
awful  fighting  there.  We  have  as  yet  seen  only  the  outer 
edge  of  war.  Now,  I  suppose,  we  shall  see  it  in  its  fearful  reality. 
These  nice,  roomy  tents  we  must  exchange  for  the  little  shelter 
tents,  or  none  at  all.  Our  comfortable  table  must  be  given  up  for 


BATON    ROUGE  67 

such  fodder  as  the  camp  will  furnish.  I  expect  to  see  harder  times 
than  I  have  yet  experienced.  I  have  seen  but  a  little  of  hardship 
as  yet.  I  start  off  in  good  cheer,  and  with  the  hope  that  the  52d 
will  do  something  worthy  the  cause  and  the  good  Common 
wealth  she  represents.  The  men  are  in  good  spirits ;  but  we 
must  leave  about  two  hundred  sick  ones  behind.  Three  months  in 
camp  life  are  enough  for  us,  and  we  welcome  a  change. 

March  9. —  We  have  a  good  deal  of  sickness,  but  no  more  than 
other  regiments.  One  Maine  regiment,  the  22d,  has  lost  twice  as 
many  men  as  we  have.  It  is  noticed  that  regiments  coming  from 
the  more  northern  latitudes  suffer  more  severely  in  getting  accli 
mated,  and  that  the  excess  of  mortality  is  the  greatest  among  the 
young,  the  mere  boys,  or  those  not  yet  in  the  prime  of  life.  With 
improving  health  come  more  elastic  spirits.  The  time  was  when 
sour  faces  and  grumbling  voices  were  almost  the  rule  rather  than 
the  exception ;  but  now  we  can  sing,  laugh,  and  joke,  and  make  the 
evening  air  ring  with  the  sound  of  merry  voices.  Our  tents  are 
floored  with  boards  raised  several  inches  from  the  ground  so  we  can 
keep  comfortably  dry  in  wet  weather.  Many  a  good  rebel  house 
has  contributed  to  our  wants  in  fitting  our  tents  and  cooking-houses 
in  proper  shape.  The  water  is  all  poor,  and  the  old  well  at  home  is 
the  subject  of  the  warmest  encomiums.  For  my  part,  I  would  like 
a  sight  of  those  hills  and  valleys  from  which  pure  water  comes. 
Deliver  me  from  the  monotony  of  level  lands,  where  there  is  not 
a  rock  nor  a  stone  nor  a  rippling  brook,  where  the  landscape, 
whether  beautiful  or  not,  is  never  in  sight,  and  where  men,  sur 
rounded  on  every  side  by  clumps  of  forest  trees,  are  as  ignorant 
of  what  is  going  on  around  them  as  a  cricket  in  the  grass  or 
chickens  in  a  corn-field. 

From  Stowell's  journal :  — 

"March  10. —  We  are  still  here,  every  minute  expecting  the 
order  to  march.  I  should  like  a  good  home  meal  of  victuals  be 
fore  starting,  but  shall  have  to  make  hard-tack  go  in  place  of  it. 

"March  n. —  Lewis  Williams,  of  Co.  E,  was  accidentally  shot 
with  a  pistol  this  morning.  A  friend  of  his  was  examining  the 
pistol,  and  thinking  it  was  not  loaded,  when  it  discharged,  the  ball 
entered  the  bowels.  He  is  badly  wounded." 


VI. 

THE    MARCH    TO   PORT    HUDSON. 
[MARCH  13,  1863.] 

Col.  Greenleafs  account:  — 

"  Port  Hudson,  a  great  stronghold  of  the  enemy  (engineers  said 
as  strong  as  Vicksburg),  commanding  the  Mississippi  River  and 
wholly  obstructing  navigation,  was  but  twenty-two  miles  above  us, 
and,  as  was  reported,  had  a  force  equal  in  numbers  to  our  own, — • 
that  is,  equal  in  numbers  to  the  i9th  Army  Corps ;  and  it  was 
important  that  this  formidable  stronghold  should  be  reduced. 

"  Accordingly,  early  in  March  preparations  were  made  for  a 
simultaneous  attack  by  both  army  and  navy  on  Port  Hudson. 
Admiral  Farragut  came  up  from  New  Orleans  on  the  '  Hartford,' 
with  his  fleet  of  gun-boats ;  mortar-boats  were  also  brought  up  and 
anchored  ;  the  necessary  orders  were  issued  to  the  army  by  Gen. 
Banks,  convalescents  sent  to  hospitals  or  put  on  light  duty,  tents 
struck,  ammunition  and  rations  served ;  and  on  the  i3th  of 
March  both  army  and  navy  commenced  active  operations,  with 
the  view  to  co-operating  with  Gen.  Grant,  then  thundering  away  at 
Vicksburg,  in  a  determined  effort  to  open  up  the  Mississippi  to 
free  navigation. 

"  It  seemed  to  have  been  agreed  between  Gen.  Banks  and  Ad 
miral  Farragut  that  the  former  should  make  a  demonstration  with 
the  land  forces  on  the  rear  of  Port  Hudson,  while  the  latter,  with 
his  mortar  and  gun-boat  fleet,  should  attack  in  the  front,  and  seek 
to  pass  the  long  line  of  powerful  batteries  planted  on  the  high 
banks  of  the  river,  with  the  flag-ship  '  Hartford,'  the  frigate  *  Mis 
sissippi,'  and  the  '  Albatross ' ;  that,  when  once  above  the  rebel 
batteries  with  these  vessels,  the  admiral  would  control  the  river  be 
tween  Port  Hudson  and  Vicksburg,  and  could  cut  off  supplies  and 
re-enforcements  coming  from  the  rich  Red  River  country  for  Gen. 
Gardner  at  the  former  place  and  for  Gen.  Pemberton,  commanding 
at  the  latter ;  that,  if,  while  Farragut  should  be  patrolling  the 
river  above,  Banks  should  withdraw  his  army  from  below  and 
make  an  expedition  through  the  rich  and  fertile  La  Fourche  and 
Teche  Counties  to  the  Red  River,  capturing  and  destroying  on  the 


THE    MARCH    TO    PORT    HUDSON  69 

march  a  considerable  force  of  rebels  commanded  by  Gen.  Dick 
Taylor  at  Fort  Bisland  on  the  Teche  near  Brashear  City,  the  rebel 
Gen.  Gardner,  feeling  more  secure  and  lacking  provisions,  might 
deem  it  advisable  to  reduce  his  force  at  Port  Hudson,  and  thus 
ultimately  render  the  capture  of  the  place  less  diffcult.  At  any 
rate,  this  was  about  what  did  actually  happen. 

"On  the  1 4th  of  March,  the  next  day  after  breaking  camp 
at  Baton  Rouge,  the  land  forces  camped  a  few  miles  below  and 
to  the  rear  of  the  enemy's  fortified  town,  the  fleet  in  the  river  oc 
cupying  much  the  same  time  in  moving  up  that  the  army  did  in 
marching. 

"  We  knew  that  gun-boats  kept  nearly  abreast  of  us,  from  famil 
iar  sounds  which  came  to  us  now  and  then  from  the  river. 

"Late  the  same  afternoon,  by  order  of  Gen.  Grover,  the  52d 
Regiment,  accompanied  by  engineers  and  artists  competent  to  ex 
amine  and  sketch  the  topography  of  the  country,  as  well  as  the 
fortifications,  made  a  reconnoissance  some  two  miles  in  advance 
of  the  main  body  of  the  army  and  to  within  a  few  hundred  yards 
of  the  enemy's  works,  driving  his  picket  line  before  them,  and 
there  leisurely  took  their  observations. 

"  I  expected  every  moment,  while  in  this  advanced  position,  to 
draw  the  fire  of  the  opposing  batteries,  but  for  some  unexplained 
reason  we  did  not.  However,  the  reconnoissance  was  hand 
somely  made,  and  in  such  manner  as  to  give  me  renewed  confi 
dence  and  pride  in  my  little  command.  It  was  performed  in  such 
satisfactory  manner  as  to  elicit  'congratulations'  and  compliments 
from  both  our  brigade  and  ^division  commanders.  This  service 
done,  we  marched  back  some  distance  with  our  '  flankers '  still 
out,  and  soon  after  dark,  by  order  of  Gen.  Grover,  filed  into  a 
piece  of  heavy  wood  by  the  roadside,  established  our  picket  line, 
and  lay  down  on  our  arms,  awaiting  further  orders,  the  profes. 
sionals  who  accompanied  us  to  the  front  going  to  the  rear  in  the 
mean  time  to  report  observations  to  the  division  commander ;  but, 
as  by  special  orders  from  brigade  headquarters  we  left  camp  in 
light  marching  order,  and  as  we  could  not  build  fires  to  warm  our 
selves  from  fear  of  betraying  our  position  to  keen  eyes  over  the 
way,  we  suffered  greatly  from  cold  and  exposure  during  the  night. 
Towards  morning,  a  little  before  midnight,  Nims's  2d  Massachu 
setts  Battery  came  up,  took  position  a  few  rods  in  advance  of  us, 
and  opened  a  rattling  fire  on  the  fortifications  and  town.  Anon, 
we  heard  the  booming  of  scattering,  heavy  guns  opposite  us  on  the 


yo  HISTORY    OF   THE    520    REGIMENT 

high  river-bank,  a  mile  and  a  half  away,  and  almost  immediately, 
louder  than  the  loudest  thunder  from  the  sky,  follows  the  deafen 
ing  roar  of  a  hundred  pieces  of  artillery  simultaneously  discharged 
from  river  and  town ;  and  we  realize  that  Farragut's  Union  broad 
sides  and  Gardner's  Confederate  batteries  are  joined  at  last  in  one 
grand  battle  chorus ! 

"The  earth  beneath  our  feet  trembles  at  the  shock;  and  'in 
the  twinkling  of  an  eye '  the  western  horizon  is  in  a  blaze  of  glory. 
Shells  from  the  mortar-boats  below  are  bursting  over  the  enemy's 
works  in  every  direction,  and  the  roar  of  cannon  along  the  river 
front  becomes  incessant.  The  crash  of  artillery  is  simply  tremen 
dous.  Sights  and  sounds  become  absolutely  terrific.  We  think 
of  Milton's  description  of  battles  in  'Paradise  Lost,'  and  wonder 
how  the  pending  conflict  will  end.  We  tremble  for  the  bravest 
and  best  of  admirals  and  his  gallant  fleet.  But  soon  the  terrible 
cannonading  slackens  :  we  follow  slowly  the  sound  of  heavy  guns 
up  the  river.  Now  we  hear  them  no  longer  from  that  direction. 
The  firing  ceases  altogether  in  front.  It  comes  to  our  listening 
ears  now  only  from  below.  Why  is  this?  We  hear  only  at  brief 
intervals  the  report  of  a  few  guns,  and  each  report  comes  from  a 
distance  lower  and  still  lower  down  the  river.  '  Can  it  be,'  we  ask 
ourselves,  *  that  brave  Farragut  has  been  cut  to  pieces, —  de 
stroyed, —  and  that  some  dilapidated  remnant  of  his  fleet  is  now 
retreating  down  the  stream,  making  her  parting  shots  at  the  foe  as 
she  drifts?' 

"  Thus  we  listen,  ponder,  and  reflect,  when,  suddenly  and  unex 
pectedly  as  an  electric  flash  from  the  region  of  darkness,  the 
heavens  above  and  to  the  west  are  lighted  up  as  by  the  unseen 
flames  of  a  conflagration,  and,  although  in  a  dark  wood,  we  see 
and  recognize  each  other's  faces,  and  catch  a  sight  of  moss  and 
different  kinds  of  bark  on  trees :  then,  on  the  instant,  we  plainly 
feel  an  earthquake  shock,  and  we  hear  from  below  a  prolonged, 
thundering  sound,  louder  and  more  deadly  than  any  before,  much 
resembling,  in  effect,  the  explosion  of  a  powder-mill ;  and  all  is 
still  again !  We  wonder  and  shiver  through  the  remaining  hours 
of  the  night,  but  cannot  sleep.  On  the  morrow  we  learn  that  the 
admiral  succeeded  in  passing  the  rebel  batteries  with  the  '  Hart 
ford  '  and  '  Albatross '  only ;  that  the  other  vessels  were  badly 
shattered  in  the  terrible  conflict,  and  that  the  grand  old  '  Missis 
sippi,'  world-renowned  for  her  former  service,  had  her  rudder  shot 
away,  and  was  set  on  fire  in  her  attempt  to  pass ;  that  it  was  the 


THE    MARCH    TO    PORT    HUDSON  7 1 

requiem  guns  of  her  gallant  crew  we  had  heard  down  the  river,  at 
short  intervals,  the  night  before,  as  she  floated  with  the  current,  a 
helpless  wreck,  and  that  these  guns  were  discharged  only  as  they 
became  sufficiently  heated  by  the  consuming  fire ;  that  it  was  the 
explosion  of  her  magazine,  when  reached  at  last  by  the  flames, 
that  caused  us  so  much  wonder  at  the  close  of  the  battle,  and 
that,  with  that  explosion,  the  gallant  craft  herself  was  'forever 
numbered  among  the  things  that  were.' " 

THE    RECONNOISSANCE. 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

Baton  Rouge,  March  13,  1863. —  At  last  we  are  ready  for  the 
movement,  for  the  long-anticipated  movement.  The  start  was 
grand  and  imposing,  as  all  military  displays  are.  We  are  no 
longer  playing  soldiers,  but  we  are  going  into  real  service.  Of 
course,  we  knew  nothing  of  the  plans  of  the  campaign, —  they  were 
only  for  the  chief  officers ;  but  we  had  no  doubt  that  we  were 
ready  to  assail  the  rebel  entrenchments  at  Port  Hudson.  One 
brigade  after  another,  with  its  infantry  and  artillery,  was  wheeled 
into  its  assigned  place  in  the  line,  which  extended  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  Every  flag  was  unfurled,  the  bands  played  their  most 
inspiring  music. 

At  the  start  the  chaplain  of  the  52d  Regiment  furnished  the 
boys  with  a  good  deal  of  entertainment. 

The  day  was  hot.  The  march  promised  to  be  a  long  one,  and 
the  load  for  each  man  was  burdensome.  A  good  many  asked,  as 
a  favor  of  the  chaplain,  that  he  would  take  their  blankets  upon  his 
horse.  He  consented ;  and  they  were  piled  up  in  front  and  be 
hind  him,  till  little  more  than  his  head  was  visible.  Then  the  boys 
began  to  chaff,  calling  out :  "  The  chaplain  is  well  barricaded  :  the 
rebels  cannot  hit  him.  Nothing  short  of  a  shell  can  reach  him," 
etc.  They  had  their  laugh,  but  were  glad  to  be  relieved  of  their 
blankets.  It  was  our  first  march.  We  had  been  ordered  to  leave 
everything  superfluous  behind.  But  what  did  raw  soldiers  know  of 
what  was  superfluous  ?  A  few  of  us  officers  employed  a  colored 
brother  to  carry  in  a  bag  upon  his  back  a  few  articles  we  thought 
indispensable.  Returning  sooner  than  we  expected,  we  found  that 
his  bag  contained  the  following  articles :  tin  cups,  plates,  boots, 
sugar,  coffee,  tea  (done  up  in  my  night-cap),  bread,  meat,  a  hair 
comb,  tooth-brushes,  potatoes,  knives,  forks,  towels,  shirts,  stock 
ings,  and  a  curry-comb. 


72  HISTORY    OF   THE    520    REGIMENT 

We  made  a  different  inventory  of  things  necessary  before  the 
end  of  the  campaign.  We  then  found  that  a  rubber  blanket  served 
for  house  and  bed.  A  tin  plate  and  cup  with  an  iron  knife  and 
fork  furnished  all  that  was  indispensable  for  kitchen  and  dining- 
room.  A  tooth-brush  and  towels  were  all  that  were  really  needed 
for  the  toilet.  The  one  shirt  could  be  washed  in  the  muddy  pool 
in  the  rear  of  the  camp,  from  which  we  obtained  all  our  water, 
wrung  out  as  soon  as  washed  and  slipped  on  again.  For  parlor 
we  had  all  out-of  doors,  only  we  must  not  lift  our  heads  veryhigh, 
unless  we  wanted  to  try  their  hardness  against  rebel  bullets. 
Much  that  we  had  been  accustomed  to  regard  as  necessities  we 
found  to  be  superfluities.  I  became  so  accustomed  to  use  my 
boots  for  a  pillow,  and  they  served  the  purpose  so  well,  I  wrote 
home  to  sell  out  my  share  of  the  house  pillows,  as  I  proposed  to 
continue  the  use  of  my  boots  for  that  purpose  henceforth.  But  I 
am  anticipating. 

We  halted  for  the  brigades  to  be  formed.  Regiments  moved 
into  line  from  every  quarter.  The  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery, 
of  which  there  were  several  splendid  batteries,  made  our  effective 
force.  At  four  o'clock  the  [line  was  formed,  and  we  started  on 
our  way  for  Port  Hudson.  It  was  a  grand  and  imposing  spectacle. 
The  line  stretched  on  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach ;  and,  as  the 
road  was  level  and  straight,  we  could  see  a  great  way.  At  the 
cross  of  the  roads  other  regiments  were  waiting  to  take  their 
places,  and  the  men  cheered  them  heartily.  Our  regiment  was 
among  the  first  in  Col.  Van  Zandt's  brigade,  in  Gen.  Grover's 
division. 

It  was  Friday.  We  marched  till  8  P.M.,  about  eight  miles.  It 
was  a  glorious  evening,  not  very  warm.  The  roads  straight  and 
level  and  in  good  condition  for  marching.  The  trees  are  getting 
into  full  leaf,  the  peach-trees  in  full  blossom,  the  fences  covered 
with  roses  in  full  bloom,  trumpet-flowers  and  a  profusion  of  others 
on  either  side,  the  men  in  good  condition,  singing  and  joking.  I 
rode  in  the  rear  of  the  regiment  till  sundown,  and  then  put  a  Co. 
K  boy  on  Dolly  and  took  his  gun,  which  I  carried  for  two  hours. 
It  was  quite  dark  when  we  halted,  but  starlight. 

We  left  the  road  and  wheeled  into  a  corn-field  full  of  ridges,  just 
as  it  was  left  when  last  year's  crop  was  taken  off.  We  halted  on 
a  spot  a  little  dryer  than  most,  and  there  spent  the  night.  We 
had  hard-tack,  drank  some  cold  coffee  from  our  canteens,  and 
turned  in.  Going  to  bed  consisted  in  taking  off  my  spurs.  It 


THE    MARCH    TO    PORT    HUDSON  73 

was  a  splendid  opportunity  to  study  astronomy.  I  could  have 
told  you  in  the  morning  the  exact  position  of  several  constella 
tions  I  was  warm  enough ;  but  the  rubber  blanket  over  us  was 
wet  with  dew  before  we  went  to  sleep.  At  first  the  men  were  a 
little  troubled  at  the  want  of  pillows,  but  my  saddle-bags  answered 
for  two  of  us.  My  end  contained  the  curry-comb  and  brushes, 
and  I  confess  it  was  rather  a  hard  pillow.  We  were  not  allowed 
to  have  any  fires  till  after  daylight.  As  it  was  getting  light,  our 
pickets  came  in,  while  I  was  looking  for  some  coffee  for  breakfast, 
and  brought  two  sheep.  I  took  hold  and  helped  carry  them  to 
our  sleeping  places.  The  pickets  were  in  great  glee  over  their 
two  sheep.  But  their  fine  story  was  soon  spoiled  by  my  cousin 
Hall,  adjutant  of  the  ist  Louisiana  Cavalry,  whom  I  met  just 
then,  who  called  out,  "Cousin  John,  where  are  your  sheep?" 
"  What  sheep  ?  "  I  inquired.  "  Why,  those  I  sent  you  this  morn 
ing."  He  then  told  me  that  he  was  out  on  picket  with  his  cavalry 
company,  and  killed  some  sheep,  and,  coming  upon  some  infan 
try  pickets,  he  found  they  belonged  to  the  52d  Regiment,  and  so 
gave  them  to  bring  in  to  me.  The  sheep  were  dressed,  cooked, 
and  eaten  in  about  the  same  length  of  time  it  takes  me  to  tell  the 
story.  By  sunrise  the  order  was  given  to  "fall  in."  We  were 
soon  on  our  way.  The  morning  was  delightful,  the  birds  singing 
merrily,  and  the  air  filled  with  fragrance.  If  we  had  been  upon  a 
more  peaceful  errand,  it  would  have  been  as  pleasant  as  possible. 
When  we  came  to  a  house,  there  would  be  great  fun.  The  men 
would  rush  in  for  water  and  whatever  else  they  could  find.  Ball, 
my  assistant,  found  a  pan  of  milk,  and  filled  his  canteen  ;  and  I 
had  a  swig  of  it, —  the  first  milk  I  have  tasted  since  I  left  home. 
Some  of  the  men  would  run  down  a  hen  or  goose,  bring  it  along, 
and  pick  it  as  they  marched. 

It  became  very  warm  before  noon ;  and  I  offered  Dolly  to 
Ford,  of  Co.  A,  as  he  was  likely  to  fall  out.  I  rode  Dolly  out  of 
the  line  for  him  to  mount ;  but  no  sooner  was  he  in  the  saddle 
than  Dolly  reared  and  fell  over  backwards.  He  was  not  hurt,  and 
tried  it  again  and  again.  Dolly  threw  herself  over,  and  rolled  in 
the  ditch.  He  was  not  hurt,  but  got  on  at  last,  and  rode  till  he 
came  up  with  the  regiment.  Then  I  took  the  jade,  and  kept  her. 
I  think  her  determination  was  to  carry  no  one  but  the  chaplain. 
The  men  became  very  weary,  and  fell  out  fearfully ;  but  they 
brought  up  in  the  course  of  the  day.  When  we  halted,  we  were 
drawn  up  in  line  of  battle ;  and  we  green  ones  supposed  it  was  to 


74  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

be  fought  at  once  on  that  spot.  The  gist  New  York  was  in  front 
of  us,  then  the  52d,  then  the  24th  Connecticut.  Behind  them  was 
the  battery  of  our  brigade.  After  standing  for  a  while  in  battle 
array,  we  were  ordered  to  "fall  to,"  but  not  on  rebels,  but  on 
rations.  The  52d  were  on  the  left  of  the  road  :  on  the  right  of  us, 
a  piece  of  woods,  on  the  edge  of  which  the  field  and  staff  made  their 
headquarters.  Fires  were  at  once  started,  and  the  indispensable 
dish  of  coffee  made,  which  washed  down  the  hard-tack.  A  slice 
of  Bologna  sausage  was  added  to  the  chaplain's  mess,  without  the 
least  inquiry  as  to  the  breed  of  dogs  of  which  it  was  made.  About 
three  o'clock  the  order  was  received  for  the  52d  Regiment  to  march 
without  knapsacks  or  tents.  It  seemed  to  be  a  reconnoissance. 
I  asked  the  colonel  if  I  should  go  or  stay.  He  thought  I  might 
as  well  stay  behind  with  the  baggage,  as  the  regiment  would  return 
before  night.  So  there  I  spent  the  time  till  the  regiment  returned. 
Ball  and  I  had  a  shelter  tent,  and  I  was  soon  sound  asleep.  If  I 
were  thirty  years  younger,  I  should  enjoy  this  sort  of  thing  tip 
top. 

Regiments  were  passing  all  the  evening,  and  a  great  many  men 
fell  out  near  our  tent.  For  them  I  prepared  coffee,  and  arranged 
some  logs  and  rails  for  a  shelter  for  them.  About  eleven  o'clock 
the  grand  display  commenced.  We  could  lie  in  our  tents,  the  sides 
of  which  were  open,  and  see  the  sudden  flashes  of  light,  as  of  light 
ning  on  the  horizon,  and  then  see  the  curve  of  the  shot  or  shell ; 
presently  could  hear  the  booming  of  the  big  guns.  At  first  they 
were  single  discharges,  and  the  reports  were  slow  and  solemn  as 
they  rolled  through  the  woods.  Soon  they  became  more  rapid, 
and  report  followed  report ;  but  they  could  not  be  distinguished 
from  each  other,  except  when  some  gun  of  larger  calibre  was  fired, 
when  it  would  make  the  ground  tremble  beneath  us.  I  could  not 
sleep,  but,  leaning  on  my  elbow,  watched  the  flashes  and  the 
graceful  curves  of  the  shot  and  shell  till  I  was  weary  of  it,  then 
lay  down  again,  quite  unconscious  of  anything.  When  I  awaked, 
the  firing  had  nearly  ceased.  Only  occasional  reports  were  heard 
down  the  river.  It  filled  us  who  were  watching  with  great  anx 
iety.  It  looked  very  much  as  though  the  rebels  had  fairly  driven 
our  gun  and  mortar  boats  back  down  the  river  toward  Baton  Rouge. 
We  could  see  on  the  river  a  bright  and  sudden  light  gradually 
moving  down  the  stream.  Was  it  one  of  our  vessels  on  fire  ? 
I  did  not  know.  But  it  was  certainly  connected  with  the  firing  we 
had  been  hearing.  At  last  there  was  a  splendid  flash  which  illu- 


THE    MARCH    TO    PORT    HUDSON 


75 


minated  the  whole  heavens.     Then  rolled  up  mingled  flame  and 
smoke  to  the  sky,  and  all  the  air  was  filled  with  masses  of  fire. 
Soon  a  report  followed,  and  the  bright  light  disappeared.     The  fire 
was  out.     It  was  a  glorious  sight.     There  is  the  greatest  curiosity 
to  know  what  it  all  meant.     All  manner  of  rumors  in  the  morning 
were  offered  about  it.     First  that  it  was  the  "  Mississippi "  steam 
frigate,  and  then  that  it  was  a  rebel  fire-craft.     I  am  inclined  to 
the  latter  guess,  for  no  better  reason  than  I  hope  that  it  is  the  case. 
Daylight  came  at  last.     I  was  hastening  to  provide  Dolly  with 
provisions  for  the  regiment,  but  chanced  to  meet  Gen.  Grover,  who 
assured  me  that  the  regiment  would  be  speedily  relieved,  and  that 
it  would  be  useless  to  attempt  to  carry  provisions  to  them.     Soon 
came  word  that  a  retreat  to  Baton  Rouge  was  the  next  thing  for  us. 
A  mysterious  order  came  to  the  effect  that,    "  the  object   of   the 
expedition  having  been  accomplished,  the  army  will  return." 
Daniel  W.  Lyman  writes  to  the  Northampton  Gazette :  — 
"On    the     i3th,    at    one    o'clock,    we    received    orders    to    be 
ready  to  march  in  an  hour.     Our  brigade  was  made  up  of  the  gist 
New  York  leading  off,  followed  by  the  52d  Massachusetts  and  the 
24th    Connecticut.     Nims's   battery    was  with  us,  besides  several 
companies  of  cavalry.      We  marched  about  six  miles,  where  the 
regiment  encamped  ;   but  Cos.  I  and  K,  under  command  of  Major 
Winn,  were   put  on  picket  duty,  with  orders   not  to  sleep  at  all. 
My  opinion  is  that  these  orders  were  not  strictly  obeyed.      The 
next  morning  the  companies  on  picket  were  started  before  they 
had  time  to  eat  breakfast.     Some  succeeded  in  getting  a  cup  of 
coffee,  but  most  went  off  without  even  that.     About  seven  o'clock 
the  column  was  in  motion.     The  day  was  hot,  and  we  rested  oc 
casionally,  but  not  too  often ;    for  it  is  hard  work  for  a  man   to 
walk  with  a  knapsack  on  his  back,  the  haversack  on  one  shoulder, 
with   two    days'   rations,   a    canteen   full    of   water,   on  the  other 
shoulder  gun  and  equipments,  with  forty  rounds  of  ammunition. 
Resting  for  a  little  while  at  noon,  we  started  on  for  two  miles,  on 
the  double-quick  most  of  the  way.     Then  we  proceeded  cautiously 
through  the  mud  and  water,  a  squad  of  cavalry  before  and  behind 
us,  when    Capt.   Bliss,   who    was    out  with   his  company  as   skir 
mishers,  discovered  the  rebel  earth-works  some  half  or  three-quar 
ters  of  a  mile  in  advance.     We  presently  fell  back  a  mile  or  two, 
and  were  ordered  to  halt  and  remain  in  the  woods  over  night,  to 
guard  the  road  and  bridges.     This  was  rather  tough  for  us,  from 
the  fact  that  we  had  no  overcoats  or  blankets,  and  to  camp  down 


76  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

as  wet  with  sweat  as  we  were  then  seemed  destructive  to  the 
health  of  us  all ;  but  that  was  the  order,  and  there  was  no  getting 
away  from  it.  But  a  fence  near  by  furnished  good  material  for  a 
bed,  with  a  few  leaves  on  top,  so  that  we  were  tolerably  comforta 
ble.  A  little  past  midnight  Nims's  battery  passed  us,  and  poured 
back  fire  into  their  entrenchments.  About  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  a  light  was  seen  off  towards  the  river,  and  it  grew 
brighter  and  brighter  for  an  hour,  and  seemed  to  go  down  the 
river,  and  finally  a  tremendous  explosion  was  heard,  after  which 
the  firing  ceased,  and  all  was  quiet.  In  the  morning  we  heard  all 
manner  of  rumors;  but  the  most  probable  one  seemed  to  be,  what 
afterwards  proved  to  be  true,  that  our  grand  steam  frigate,  the 
'Mississippi,'  was  blown  up." 

Corp.  Hosmer's  account  in  the  "  Color  Guard,"  March  13  :  — 
"  We  are  all  in  heavy  order.  An  effective  looking  crowd, 
though  not  exactly  smooth  and  neat.  We  are  on  the  point  of 
starting.  The  colonel  comes  riding  back  from  the  general  with 
the  resolute  smile  he  usually  wears,  but  a  little  more  expanded 
than  common.  The  colonel  whispers  to  Capt.  Long,  whereat  the 
captain  catches  the  smile  and  comes  back  towards  his  company, 
the  '  Color  Guard ':  *  Gen.  Grover  says  the  52d  Regiment  is  the 
best  nine  months'  regiment  in  the  service.'  A  little  butter  of  that 
sort  will  help  over  the  hard  march.  That  the  general  knows  well 
enough. 

"  The  weather  is  grand.  We  are  in  a  heavy  magnolia  forest. 
The  sun's  rays  cannot  reach  us.  We  go  mile  after  mile.  The 
road  is  what  it  should  be,  not  muddy  nor  dry  enough  to  be  dusty, 
wide  enough  for  the  regiment  to  march  comfortably  by  the  flank 
in  sections  of  four  deep.  Sometimes  we  go  over  a  hill,  and  then 
ahead  and  behind  we  can  see  the  big  column  of  infantry, —  a  huge 
caterpillar,  eating  its  way  through  the  woods,  joints  along  its  back 
where  the  sections  are  separated,  spiny  as  a  caterpillar's  back  is, 
with  hundreds  of  muskets  sticking  out  at  various  angles.  The 
night  settles  down, —  a  night  of  stars  ;  and  from  the  westward,  as 
the  glow  fades,  rockets  go  up,  signals  from  the  fleet  out  of  sight 
in  the  river,  ascending,  like  us,  loaded  with  death  against  the  great 
fortress.  Shall  we  march  all  night  ?  No  one  knows,  not  captain 
or  colonel,  only  Gen.  Grover,  apparently.  But  at  last  comes  an 
order  to  bivouac.  The  *  Color  Guard '  found  a  soft  place  among 
the  furrows.  Two  rubber  blankets  over  a  soft  ridge  make  a  good 
mattress,  then  two  woollen  blankets  over,  and  last  the  shelter 


THE  MARCH  TO  PORT  HUDSON  77 

tents,  not  pitched,  but  laid  upon  the  top  by  way  of  counterpane. 
Lie  down  now,  boys,  with  loaded  pistol  at  the  belt,  every  arm 
where  it  can  be  got  in  an  instant ;  for  Port  Hudson  fellows  may 
stir  us  up  during  the  night.  But  jokes  will  come  up,  such  as, 
*  Corporal  under  the  stump  there,  is  your  bedroom  well  aired  ? ' 
and  the  corporal  replies,  '  I  think  we  shall  make  out  not  to  suffo 
cate.' 

"The  next  morning  we  make  an  early  start.  Two  companies 
are  detailed  as  flankers.  They  go  off  into  the  woods  fifteen  or 
twenty  rods  from  the  road  on  each  side ;  and  throughout  the 
march  we  can  see  these  two  lines  guarding  the  main  party 
from  ambuscade.  Through  stumps  and  stalks,  through  old  sugar 
fields,  plantation  barn-yards,  and  wild  swamps.  The  morning 
deepens  toward  noon.  Fewer  soldiers  leave  the  line  to  forage 
among  hen-roosts. 

"  The  52d  grow  red  and  sweaty,  and  we  begin  to  see  what  I 
believe  is  always  seen  when  an  army  is  on  the  march, —  knap 
sacks,  blankets,  shelter  tents,  all  the  articles  of  a  soldier's  kit, 
thrown  away  for  relief.  Occasionally  we  stop,  and  the  stream  of 
men  rush  from  the  roadway  to  the  grass  at  the  side  ;  and  in  a  mo 
ment  every  man  has  fallen  on  his  back.  A  good  way  to  rest,  but 
a  dirty  one.  The  pack  behind  supports  you  at  a  comfortable  in 
cline.  Sometimes  we  sit  in  the  dust,  sometimes  in  the  dew.  One 
is  not  over-particular.  Men  begin  to  fall  out.  They  lie  panting 
by  the  roadside,  in  fence  corners,  under  bushes,  with  heads  resting 
on  logs.  A  sorrowful  sight,  though  not  so  bad  as  if  we  were  on  a 
retreat.  I  find  some  relief  for  my  shoulders  in  stooping  over  and 
hitching  the  weight  of  the  pack  higher  up  on  my  back.  It  is  rob 
bing  Peter  to  pay  Paul,  but  poor  Paul  has  so  much  the  harder 
time  that  Peter  ought  to  be  willing  to  give  him  a  lift.  True,  it  is 
hard.  Whenever  the  column  halts,  I  am  flat  on  my  back  and  in 
the  dirt  at  once.  We  stop  for  dinner  at  noon.  Boom,  boom  !  big 
guns  from  the  river.  We  know  that  the  fleet  are  as  near  Port 
Hudson  as  we  are.  *  Fall  in,  men,  at  once  ! '  is  the  call.  '  Keep 
cool,  and  do  not  waste  your  fire,'  says  Capt.  Long  to  the  men. 
How  do  we  feel  ?  We  are  going  to  meet  the  enemy,  as  we  fully 
believe  ;  and  so  do  our  officers.  Who  knows  ?  They  do  not.  We 
are  to  be  pushed  up  in  front  of  the  whole  army  into  close  range. 
The  52d  is  cool  and  yet  eager.  Not  a  man  that  can  limp  at  all 
wants  to  stay  behind.  Open  the  cartridge-box,  and  down  the 
powder  goes  into  the  barrel,  now  the  ball.  Half-cock,  then  cap 


78  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

the  cone,  and  all  is  done.  If  I  have  to  fire,  it  will  be  for  a  cause. 
Scruples  now  are  mere  squeamishness.  '  By  the  right  flank  for 
ward  ! '  Thayer  carries  the  white  State  flag.  The  tall  Sergt. 
Moore  carries  the  stars  and  stripes.  Old  flag,  you  are  woven  of 
no  ordinary  stuff !  I  march  behind  the  sergeant  in  the  great  folds 
of  the  flag.  We  go  out  of  the  field  into  the  road  with  banners 
waving,  and,  I  hope,  with  the  true  light  of  battle  upon  our  faces, — 
soldiers  in  a  noble  cause.  Boom  !  go  the  far-away  guns.  We  are 
moving  rapidly  to  the  front.  We  pass  by  some  camps  recently 
deserted  by  the  rebels,  where  they  have  cut  on  trees  some  defiance 
or  warning,  '  Beware,  Yanks  !  this  is  a  hard  road  to  travel.'  We 
press  on,  till  at  length  the  column  halts  close  within  the  range  of 
Port  Hudson  batteries.  We  can  see  the  earth-works  of  the  rebels' 
stronghold.  As  the  dusk  deepens,  the  column  turns  and  falls 
back  two  or  three  miles,  then  camps  in  the  woods.  Our  blankets 
and  baggage  are  four  miles  behind.  Wet  with  sweat,  we  lie  down 
in  our  clothes  without  covering.  At  last  the  heavens  reddened 
high  and  far  with  a  fiercer  glare  that  moves  slowly  southward, 
crimsoning  in  turn  everything  in  sight.  Meantime  came  the 
booming  of  cannon  slowly  receding  down  the  river.  So  we  heard 
the  swan  song  of  the  stern  old  '  Mississippi.'  A  freight  of  dead 
men  are  on  her  deck,  and  the  bodies  of  drowned  men  are  about 
her  hoary  hull  for  retinue.  Then  comes  a  crash,  a  light  making 
all  bright.  The  magazine  has  exploded.  So  passes  the  veteran 
ship  through  fire  and  earthquake  shock  to  an  immortality  in  his 
tory." 

Sergt.-Major  Whitney  gives  a  good  description  of  the  recon- 
noissance  in  the  Springfield  Republican  in  1867,  a  large  portion  of 
which  I  here  insert :  — 

"  Port  Hudson  is  a  village  twenty-two  miles  above  Baton  Rouge 
and  three  hundred  below  Vicksburg.  On  the  river  side  it  has 
very  high  bluffs ;  and  a  bend  in  the  river  at  that  place  enables 
every  battery  to  have  a  plunging  fire  for  four  or  five  miles,  in  the 
course  of  any  ship  that  might  try  to  get  by.  For  three  and  one- 
half  miles  along  the  bluffs  the  most  advantageous  points  had  been 
occupied  with  huge  siege  guns :  well-sheltered  furnaces  for  heating 
the  shots  stood  near.  There  were  water  batteries  below.  On  the 
land  side  elaborate  fortifications  had  been  constructed.  Within 
and  about  the  works  some  of  the  best  troops  of  the  South  had  been 
stationed.  On  the  i3th  of  March  we  made  start.  The  road  lay 
toward  Port  Hudson.  It  was  in  splendid  condition,  soft  to  the 


THE    MARCH    TO    PORT    HUDSON  79 

feet,  yet  without  a  particle  of  dust.  Our  way  was  straight  between 
tall  forest  trees  and  wildly  grand  jungles.  The  weather  was  cool 
and  strengthening.  The  flags  flapped  or  drooped  as  the  breeze 
rose  or  fell.  The  higher  officers  ambled  quietly  at  the  head  of 
their  commands.  The  aides  galloped  up  and  down  the  road.  The 
batteries  were  sprinkled  through  the  column,  brightening  the  scene 
with  the  red  trimmings  on  the  uniforms  of  the  men.  Common 
sights  of  war,  but  they  never  grow  old  or  dull,  and  they  were  then 
new  to  us. 

"On  the  i4th  we  pushed  on  seven  miles.  The  52d  and9ist  left 
their  knapsacks  under  the  care  of  a  few  foot-sore  men,  and  went 
off  at  a  canter.  At  the  end  of  a  mile  we  came  upon  the  surgeons 
working  over  Col.  Clark,  formerly  provost-marshal  of  New  Orleans. 
His  horse  had  been  shot  under  him,  and  his  fall  had  broken  the 
colonel's  leg.  To  most  of  us  it  is  our  first  sight  of  the  bloodshed 
of  war. 

"  Presently  we  pass  a  number  of  cavalry  horses,  wounded  men, 
and  other  signs  of  a  sharp  skirmish.  Hurrying  on  at  a  double- 
quick,  we  pass  the  little  camp-fires  which  the  rebel  pickets  have 
just  left,  and  find  the  trees  bearing  such  inscriptions  as  'Yanks, 
beware  !  this  is  a  hard  road  to  travel.'  The  52d  are  alone  now, 
except  for  a  squad  of  cavalry.  We  are  moving  with  perfect  cool 
ness,  although  we  are  not  used  to  this  sort  of  work,  and  ex 
pect  every  moment  a  storm  of  cannist£r,  grape,  and  shell.  We 
wonder  that  they  do  not  fire  upon  us ;  but  presently  an  order 
comes  to  'fall  back,'  and  we  withdraw  for  about  two  miles  behind 
a  little  bridge,  and  prepare,  without  blankets,  overcoats,  or  tents, 
to  spend  the  night  under  the  March  skies  as  a  picket  outpost. 
The  52d  are  two  miles  nearer  the  enemy  than  any  other  regiment. 
It  is  guarding  a  bridge  in  its  rear  as  well  as  one  in  front.  Its 
pickets  are  far  out  on  each  side.  Suddenly,  at  11.30,  from  the  re 
gion  of  the  river  there  comes  a  burst  of  thunder  that  brings  us  to 
our  feet  and  to  our  guns  in  a  twinkling.  Discharge  follows  dis 
charge, —  now  the  sharp  snarl  of  a  Parrott  gun  and  now  the  shriek 
of  mortar-boat  shells.  Plain  and  tremendous  as  was  the  roar  of 
so  many  great  guns,  it  was  almost  unintelligible  to  us.  What  did 
it  mean  for  us  in  our  exposed  position  ?  The  firing  slackened  at 
last ;  and  we  lay  down  once  more,  dull  with  the  loss  of  sleep,  stiff 
with  cold,  yet  unable  to  sleep  through  anxiety  and  wonder. 
What  mean  those  huge  shells  from  down  the  river?  Have  the 
rebels  fairly  broken  up  Farragut's  famous  fleet  and  driven  it  off? 


8o  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

If  it  was  not  that,  what  could  it  be?  At  5.30  A.M.  came  the  last 
pitch  of  horror.  A  great  flash  of  light  filled  the  southern  sky. 
We  waited  in  suspense.  Then  rolled  in  upon  us  the  crash  of  a 
great  explosion,  then  all  was  still  again.  About  10  A.M.,  wonder 
ing  still  what  was  to  come  out  of  the  doings  of  the  night,  we  called 
in  our  pickets  and  started  for  our  knapsacks.  We  wonder  that 
the  enemy  had  not  burned  the  bridges.  And  what  did  it  mean 
that,  before  starting,  we  set  them  on  fire  ourselves  ?  We  waited  an 
hour  till  the  bridges  were  blazing,  and  reached  our  knapsacks  at 
noon,  and  there  learned  that  a  portion  of  Farragut's  fleet  had 
passed  the  rebel  fortifications,  while  the  other  portion  had  been 
destroyed.  The  *  Hartford,'  with  whitewashed  decks  and  lights 
all  concealed,  got  just  around  the  curve,  and  then  was  -discovered. 
The  batteries  opened  upon  her,  but  got  as  good  as  they  gave. 
The  flash  of  the  guns  revealing  the  position  of  the  whole  fleet  and 
the  vessels  of  which  it  was  composed,  they  were  fired  upon  inces 
santly  and  with  unerring  accuracy.  The  smoke  of  the  firing  made 
steering,  for  the  ships  behind,  difficult.  Two  hundred-pound  balls 
flew  about  like  hailstones.  The  '  Hartford  '  and  '  Albatross  '  went 
on  out  of  the  danger  to  range  the  river  up  to  Vicksburg,  doing 
great  harm  to  the  Confederacy.  The  *  Richmond '  had  almost 
passed,  when  a  shot  through  her  steam-chest  disabled  her  and 
filled  her  with  steam.  The  '  Genesee '  had  to  take  her  back  to 
safety  below.  The  '  Monongahela '  grounded,  was  pulled  off, 
started  on  again,  but  was  struck  and  disabled.  At  last  came  the 
historic  old  *  Mississippi.'  She  got  past  the  worst,  and  had  put 
on  full  steam,  but,  in  the  deepest  smoke  of  all,  ran  hard  aground 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  The  enemy  at  once  gave  her  their 
full  attention,  but  the  '  Mississippi '  was  doomed.  The  iron-clad 
'Essex'  came  up,  letting  the  enemies'  balls  pound  harmlessly  on 
her  scaly  back.  The  wounded  were  taken  aboard  her,  the  frigate 
was  then  set  on  fire  by  her  officers,  and  210  of  her  233  officers 
and  crew  were  landed  on  the  western  shore.  The  ship  burned 
till  her  increasing  lightness  set  her  free  to  float,  a  magnificent 
spectacle,  down  the  river.  Early  in  the  morning  from  the  little 
spot  of  light  and  of  fire  down  the  river  came  the  awful  flash  and 
roar  of  the  exploding  ship.  These  things  were  what  we  heard  and 
saw.  Oh,  to  have  seen  them  in  full  view !  Oh,  to  have  shared 
the  effort  to  get  by  instead  of  being  tortured  with  uncertainty !  " 


VII. 

MARCH    BACK   FROM    PORT    HUDSON. 
[MARCH  16.] 

Col.  Greenleaf's  account :  — 

"  Having  substantially  accomplished  the  object  of  the  expedi 
tion  by  the. passage  of  the  'Hartford'  and  'Albatross'  up  the 
river,  orders  came  to  us  in  the  wood  the  next  morning,  Sunday, 
March  16,  to  take  up  our  return  march  for  Baton  Rouge.  As  on 
our  march  up,  we  found  the  roads  as  smooth,  hard,  and  well- 
graded  as  a  Northern  race-course.  But  we  had  not  been  long  on 
our  return  march  when  it  began  to  rain,  and  to  rain  as  I  never 
saw  it  rain  before.  It  actually  descended  in  torrents,  and  soon 
became  a  flood, —  a  perfect  deluge.  I  do  not  believe  our  great 
ancestor,  Noah,  ever  saw  a  greater  one. 

"  The  highway,  so  very  fine  before,  soon  became  one  continuous 
quagmire,  with  clay  mud  nearly  ankle  deep ;  and  thus  we  con 
tinued  to  '  tramp,  tramp,  tramp,'  and  the  rain  continued  to  pour 
until  night-fall,  when,  the  enlisted  men  all  being  foot-sore  and 
drenched  to  the  skin,  the  officers  drenched  ditto,  with  their  boots 
full  of  water,  and  the  whole  brigade  tired,  hungry,  and  pretty  much 
disgusted  with  themselves  generally  and  everybody  in  particular, 
the  52d  Regiment,  by  order  of  powers  above  it,  which  I  vainly 
sought  to  get  revoked,  like  a  drove  of  swine  was  turned  into  a 
dreary,  treeless,  fenceless,  houseless  swamp,  where  the  water  was  so 
deep  in  places  that,  when  we  stacked  arms,  it  actually  came  up  to 
the  guards  on  the  breech  of  the  guns.  No  place  to  sit  down,  much 
less  to  lie  down ;  no  fire  and  nothing  to  make  fires  of ;  of  course, 
no  co  fife  e ;  of  course,  no  whiskey;  dark  as  Egypt,  and  raining  still 
like  great  guns  all  night, —  there  we  stood,  or  wandered  gloomily, 
aimlessly  about  until  morning,  as  sorry  and  dejected  a  set  of  mor 
tals  as  ever  marched  up  a  hill  and  then  marched  down  again, 
with  stomachs  empty,  shoes  full  of  mud,  feet  well  parboiled  and 
nearly  raw  from  blisters. 

"From  this  'Dismal  Swamp,'  this  'Slough  of  Despond,'  we  the 
next  morning  hobbled,  like  so  many  lame  ducks,  to  a  firm  camping 


82  HISTORY   OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

ground  on  the  banks  of  the  Bayou  Montecino,  a  short  distance 
away,  where  we  dried,  cleaned,  rested,  and  fed  ourselves,  and 
thence,  a  few  days  later,  returned  to  our  old  camping  ground  at 
Baton  Rouge,  to  prepare  to  march  on  the  first  Red  River  expe 
dition." 

Chaplain's  letter  to  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

Sunday  morning,  March  16,  brought  us  the  sad  news  that  the 
"  Mississippi  "  frigate  was  certainly  destroyed.  It  seemed  to  us  as 
if  the  whole  fleet  had  been  destroyed.  Everything  looked  like  a 
defeat  and  a  disastrous  retreat. 

A  baggage  wagon  broke  down  near  us,  and  was  set  on  fire. 
The  bridges  were  loaded  with  rails,  to  be  set  on  fire  after  we  had 
passed  them.  An  order  was  sent  to  the  baggage  train  to  return. 
They  wheeled  about,  and  rushed  in  the  direction  of  Baton  Rouge. 
About  2  P.M.  the  52d  came  in,  pretty  tired  and  used  up.  Had  had 
no  sleep  for  two  nights,  to  speak  of.  The  order  was  to  "  fall  in  " 
at  once.  The  hot  coffee  was  prepared,  the  knapsacks  were  slung, 
and  the  order  given  to  march.  As  we  had  been  in  the  advance 
on  the  upward  march,  we  were  quite  near  the  rear  on  our  return, 
and  we  must  keep  up  with  the  main  line  ;  and  they  in  front  led  us 
on  at  a  good  smart  rate.  Our  first  stop  was  for  a  moment  in  front 
of  Gen.  Banks's  headquarters,  where  a  few  ambulances  were  wait 
ing  to  take  in  the  sick.  I  saw  that  Warren  Mattoon,  of  North- 
field,  was  getting  used  up,  and  placed  him  on  the  horse,  while  I 
took  his  gun  ;  for  it  was  loaded,  and  I  did  not  want  he  should  carry 
it  on  Dolly's  back.  In  a  moment  the  order  was  given  again  to 
"  fall  in."  The  air  was  very  sultry  :  the  thunder  rolled  in  the  dis 
tance.  On  we  pressed  in  good  order.  No  appearance  of  haste, 
except  in  the  rate  we  were  moving.  No  crowding  nor  pushing, 
but  on,  on  :  no  stop  made.  The  men  were  very  weary.  Off  would 
go  a  blanket  upon  the  ground,  then  a  great  coat  or  knapsack,  then 
a  man  would  fall  out,  and  the  column  would  press  on  and  leave 
him  behind.  The  clouds  rolled  up  dark  and  ominous.  I  took  my 
place  in  the  ranks,  tried  to  persuade  the  men  that  we  had  not  been 
defeated,  that  it  was  a  part  of  the  strategy  of  war.  Some  were 
satisfied,  others  discouraged,  and  growled.  The  colonel  had  a 
sick  man  on  his  horse.  Presently  the  rain  began  to  pour.  It  was 
about  five  o'clock.  I  looked  about  for  Mattoon  and  Dolly,  to  get 
my  great  coat  and  poncho,  but  could  not  find  them,  so  pressed  on 
with  the  rest.  I  felt  well ;  was  not  wearied  to  start  with,  as  the 
men  were.  The  walk  enlivened  me.  But  such  a  rain !  The 


MARCH    BACK    FROM    PORT    HUDSON  83 

thunder  and  lightning  were  such  as  can  be  got  up  only  in  this 
warm  climate.  The  rain  poured  in  torrents.  The  road  at  once 
became  muddy  and  sticky ;  and  the  labor  of  marching  was  very 
much  increased,  of  course.  At  six  it  became  dark,  only  as  the 
lightning  glared  and  flashed  upon  us.  We  were  about  six  miles 
from  Baton  Rouge.  I  supposed,  of  course,  we  were  going  in  at 
once  ;  and  I  had  a  bright  prospect  of  going  to  Lieut.  Stearns,  at 
the  contraband  quarters,  and  getting  some  dry  clothes  and  a  de 
cent  place  to  sleep.  What  was  our  surprise  to  find  that  we  were 
advancing  out  of  the  road  into  a  swamp  at  our  left !  There  was 
no  help  for  it.  Such  were  the  orders.  "  Ours  not  to  make  reply, 
ours  not  to  reason  why."  We  might  as  well  take  it  good-naturedly. 
And  there  we  spent  Sunday  night.  It  was  a  new  piece  of  ground, 
—  that  is,  just  cleared, —  and  stumps  and  logs  and  a  growth  of 
bramble  nearly  six  feet  high  remained.  The  soil  was  black  loam, 
which  yielded  at  once  to  our  tread ;  and  the  muddy  water  was  any 
where  from  three  inches  to  three  feet  in  depth.  The  rain  con 
tinued  to  pour.  It  was  utterly  useless  to  attempt  to  pitch  any 
tents.  We  did  not  attehnpt  it.  We  obtained  a  few  rails,  and  made 
a  few  fires.  Some  of  the  men  stood  around  these  fires  all  night : 
some  lay  down  in  the  water,  and  slept.  I  walked  up  and  down  a 
cleared  spot  where  there  were  less  brambles  and  not  more  than 
four  or  six  inches  of  mud  till  ten  o'clock,  when  I  mounted  a  log 
with  other  officers ;  and  we  sat  there  and  told  stories  and  joked 
with  each  other.  Ball  sat  down  in  the  water  by  the  side  of  a 
stump,  and  held  Dolly  all  night.  The  rain  only  came  in  gusts 
after  midnight  till  morning.  About  three  o'clock  I  squatted  down 
by  Ball,  Capt.  Long  on  the  other  side  of  the  stump.  Of  course, 
long  before  we  reached  the  swamp,  every  bit  of  clothing  was  wet 
through.  I  wanted  to  take  my  boots  off  and  pour  out  the  water, 
but  I  knew,  if  I  did,  I  should  not  be  able  to  get  them  on  again. 
About  five  it  grew  light. 

I  told  Ball  to  look  after  Dolly  and  the  blankets,  for  I  was  bound 
to  push  on  to  Baton  Rouge.  I  supposed  the  regiment  would  fol 
low  as  soon  as  it  was  fairly  light.  I  found  the  road,  and  trudged 
on  for  a  mile  or  so,  and  found  I  was  in  the  second  division,  Gen. 
Emory's,  which  was  in  our  rear  going  up,  but  was  in  our  advance 
coming  down.  I  found  I  was  near  the  53d  Massachusetts.  I 
asked  a  sentry  where  Capt.  Mudge  was.  It  was  six  o'clock,  and 
Mudge  was  still  wrapped  up  in  his  blanket.  I  never  had  a  more 
cordial  welcome.  The  53d  had  not  been  up  so  far  as  we,  and 


84  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

started  three  hours  ahead  to  return,  and  reached  their  stopping 
place  before  the  rain  began.  The  captain  had  some  rails  laid  upon 
the  ground,  and  on  them  was  spread  some  musty  old  sugar-cane. 
He  gave  me  this  bed,  and  I  was  stretched  out  upon  it  very  soon. 
His  man  soon  brought  me  some  hot  coffee  and  some  fried  pork 
and  mutton,  which  I  ate  without  plate,  knife,  or  fork,  and  was  soon 
fast  asleep.  Early  in  the  morning  I  started  again  for  Baton 
Rouge,  and  soon  came  across  some  stragglers  of  the  52d.  I  was 
by  this  time  persuaded  that  the  regiment  was  not  coming  up,  and 
urged  the  men  to  return  to  the  camp.  The  sun  had  come  up  very 
hot,  and  we  were  uncertain  what  to  do.  While  waiting,  a  mule 
team  came  along.  We  asked  for  a  ride,  loaded  ourselves  in,  and 
got  back  to  camp  very  easily.  The  camp  by  daylight  was  unlike 
anything  you  ever  saw  but  a  big  pig-pen  in  a  storm.  The  men 
were  not  sick,  but  terribly  foot-sore  and  tired.  They  had  had 
three  nights  now  without  sleep,  and  a  long  march  with  no  place 
to  sit  down,  except  in  the  mud.  There  were  a  few  cases  of  rheu 
matism  ;  but  the  men  were  paddling  about  barefooted,  with  blis 
ters  on  their  feet  as  big  as  copper  cents.  The  rations  were  getting 
short,  and  hard-tack  was  welcome.  At  two  o'clock  came  an  order 
to  "fall  in."  It  was  very  hot,  and  I  had  to  shirk  for  myself;  for  Ball 
had  gone  on  with  Dolly.  What  should  I  do  for  a  blanket  ?  When 
we  had  marched  a  little  way,  I  found  a  good  one  lying  upon  the 
road,  which  some  one  had  thrown  away.  I  picked  it  up,  and  with 
the  aid  of  some  of  the  boys  gave  it  a  hasty  inspection,  to  sat 
isfy  us  that  it  was  not  inhabited,  and  then  swung  it  over  my 
shoulder.  After  an  hour's  march  we  came  to  high  ground  on  the 
bank  of  the  river.  Here  we  stacked  our. arms  and  pitched  our 
tents.  Throwing  down  my  poncho  on  as  dry  a  place  as  I  could 
find,  I  lay  down  to  rest.  When  I  awoke,  I  found  that  Lieut. 
Stearns  had  just  come  in  from  Baton  Rouge,  and  reported  that 
the  express  you  had  sent  had  come.  He  brought  up  a  bottle  of 
currant  wine  "  for  Capt.  Long,  packed  by  Mrs.  Moors,  directed  by 
Mrs.  Aiken."  We  emptied  it  in  less  time  than  it  took  to  pack  it. 
I  turned  in  at  night  with  Capt.  Perkins  and  seven  others  in  two 
shelter  tents  pitched  together.  I  slept  soundly  from  seven  o'clock 
till  nearly  five  in  the  morning,  when  we  were  ordered  to  be  ready 
to  march  at  once.  We  hurried  through  a  breakfast  of  hard-tack 
and  coffee,  but  have  not  started  yet,  and  it  is  now  half-past 
nine. 

We  have  our  clothes  out  drying,  and  have  a  rail  to  sit  on  and  a 


MARCH    BACK    FROM    PORT    HUDSON  85 

drum-head  for  a  desk,  the  sun  boiling  down  on  my  head  fiercely. 
It  is  amusing  to  witness  the  different  ways  in  which  the  men  take 
such  an  experience  as  we  have  had  in  the  swamp.  Some  are 
good-natured  and  cheerful,  full  of  life  and  fun ;  others  are  as  cross 
as  they  can  be,  swearing  about  Gen.  Banks  and  everybody  else, 
cursing  the  war  and  the  government.  The  fact  is,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  the  hard  rain,  we  should  have  had  a  pretty  good  time  of 
it.  It  was  hard  work,  and  that  was  all.  It  has  been  pretty  tough  ; 
but  for  one  I  have  been  well,  and  have  positively  enjoyed  it,  and 
especially  the  remembrance  of  it  now  it  is  over.  Where  next  the 
Lord  knows,  but  we  don't. 

J.  F.  Thayer  writes  in  his  journal,  "The  52d  boys  are  finding 
out  that  they  are  not  on  a  grand  picnic." 

From  Church's  journal :  — 

"March  14. —  In  the  morning  we  were  early  on  the  road,  and 
our  company  were  employed  as  flankers.  We  perform  this  duty 
enough  to  satisfy  us.  The  road  was  good  enough  for  us  after 
that  experience.  When  it  was  dark,  we  were  quietly  withdrawn 
and  marched  back  some  two  miles,  where  we  bivouacked  for  the 
night.  The  i5th,  no  coats  nor  blankets  nor  tents,  and  very  little 
food.  Not  much  sleep  that  night.  The  next  day,  the  i6th,  we 
had  orders  to  return.  We  were  too  tired  and  ugly  to  march  fast 
enough.  The  officers  warned  us  to  hurry,  or  we  should  be  taken 
prisoners.  Rations  had  been  left  with  our  baggage,  but  they 
feared  the  rebels  would  get  it.  The  wagons  had  been  set  on  fire. 
An  officer  rode  up  to  the  colonel  with  the  cheering  news  that  the 
rebels  were  after  us  j  but  that  did  not  scare  us  much,  nor  make  us 
hurry.  It  was  a  sullen,  ugly  lot  of  men  who  filed  out  into  the  road 
leading  back  to  Baton  Rouge.  After  a  march  of  ten  or  twelve 
miles,  we  filed  into  a  field,  where  we  were  to  pass  the  night.  And 
such  a  night !  Mud  and  water  six  or  eight  inches  deep  all  over 
the  field.  Of  course,  no  one  cursed  the  general  who  had  ordered 
us  into  that  slough  !  The  only  thing  that  amused  us  this  night 
was  the  fact  that  one  of  our  officers  fell  off  a  log  and  nearly 
drowned.  I  suppose,  when  this  place  was  selected,  it  was  all  right ; 
but  the  storm  had  put  a  new  face  upon  it." 

From  J.  K.  H.:- 

"  Sunday  morning  came.  Towards  noon  Grover's  aides  came  up 
with  word  to  fall  back,  to  fall  back.  Are  we  going  to  retreat  then  ? 
Back  we  go  over  the  same  road  as  yesterday.  We  pass  the 
bridges,  and  see  men  with  fuel  prepared  to  set  them  on  fire  as 


86  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

soon  as  we  have  passed.     I  hear  a  field  officer  say,  *  The  enemy's 
cavalry  will  soon  be  after  us  ! '     In  an  hour  or  so  we  are  back  tc 
the  camp  of  Saturday  noon,  passing,  as  we  march,  signs  of  a  hast) 
retreat.     What  does  it  all  mean  ?     Are  we  retreating,  without  firing 
a  shot  ?     There  is  no  elasticity  or  mirthfulness.     The  knapsacks 
are  heavier  than  they  should  be,  the  men  are  sullen.     Yesterday 
we  felt  sure  of  a  battle,  but  the  enemy  fell  back ;  and  now  we  are 
falling  back  before  them.     We  halt  for  a  while,  when  every  one  is 
on  his  back  in  a  moment.     But  fewer  men  fall  out,  for  they  feai 
capture  by  the  enemy.     In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  it  begins 
to  rain.     I  never  knew  it  rain  so  hard.     The  road  becomes  a  deep 
pudding,    and   the   gutters   are    rivers.     The    army   splashes    on 
through  the  rain,  dreary  and  disheartened.     About  five  o'clock  we 
reach  a  field  where  we  are  to  encamp.     We  turn  in  to  the  swamp, 
to   pass   the  most   tedious   night  of   our   lives.     We   waded   and 
stumbled  forward  to  the  middle  of  this  dreary  quagmire.     Could 
we  stop  here  for  the  night  ?     We    had    marched    rapidly   ten    or 
twelve  miles,  and  were  exhausted.     The  general  had  left  orders 
for  us  to  stop  here.     We  had  no  choice.     Wet  to  the  skin,  I  threw 
off  my  knapsack  into  the  mud.     We  managed,  as  the  night  fell,  to 
get  a  fire  started  in  a  charred  stump.     Then,  through  the  evening 
dark  as  pitch,  we  went  stumbling  about,  to  find  sticks  for  fuel.     At 
ten  o'clock,  putting  my  knapsack  into  the  mud  in  the  driest  spot 
I  could  find,  I  sat  down  for  the  night.     As  I  sat  on  my  knapsack, 
it  settled  into  the  mud  till  it  just  kept  me  out  of  the  pool.     Once 
in  a  while  some  one  waded  forth  after  wood.     On  every  stump  and 
log  were  figures  wrapped  up  in  rubber  blankets,  trying  to  sleep. 
I  mistook  S.  for  a  charred  stump.     I  began  to  haul  him  to  the  fire, 
when  a  feeble  and  sudden  voice  ordered  me  to  desist.     There  was 
more  rain;  and,  when  morning  came  at  last,  such  a  half-drowned, 
haggard  set  as  the  men  were  !     But  there  is  spunk  in  the  regiment 
yet.     We   have  scarcely  anything  to   eat.     Nobody  wants   to   do 
much,  but  the  foragers  go  out.     This  matter  of  foraging  is  a  hard 
one.     I  see  what  a  scourge  to  a  country  an  invading  army  is.     All 
this  marauding  goes  on  ruthlessly.     We  are  suffered  to  kill  cattle, 
pigs,  and    poultry.     Sheep  and  pigs  are  bayoneted,  sugar-houses 
plundered,  private  dwellings   entered.     I    took   no  active  part  in 
foraging,  though  I  know  I  was  more  than  once   a   partaker.     It 
was,  in  fact,  our  only  way  to  live.     When  one  and  another  of  my 
comrades  offered  me  steaks  and  a  canteen  of  molasses  and  haver 
sacks  of  sugar,  hungry  and  tired  as  I  was,  I  was  glad  to  take  the 


MARCH    BACK    FROM    PORT    HUDSON  87 

share  offered.  War  is  horrible,  and  this  feature  of  plunder  is  one 
of  its  horrors." 

From  Lyman  :  — 

"March  16. —  This  Sabbath  forenoon  was  spent  very  pleasantly; 
but  about  noon  the  regiment  received  orders  to  retire,  and  burn 
the  bridges  behind  them.  We  reached  our  knapsacks  about  half- 
past  two  in  the  afternoon,  but  there  was  no  rest  for  us  :  we  simply 
had  time  to  drink  a  cup  of  coffee  and  then  to  *  fall  in,'  and  re 
treated.  We  were  told  that  we  had  accomplished  all  we  came  for, 
and  were  retreating  according  to  the  programme ;  but  we  could 
not  see  it.  Hitherto  the  weather  had  been  pleasant,  and  the  roads 
good  ;  but  not  long  after  we  started  the  clouds  began  to  threaten, 
the  thunder  to  roll,  and  there  was  every  indication  of  a  heavy 
thunder-storm,  and  presently  the  rain  began  to  pour,  and  continued 
to  descend  in  torrents,  soaking  every  one  of  us  through  and  filling 
the  roads  with  mud.  And  then,  instead  of  taking  us  on  to  a 
decent  camping  ground,  we  were  marched  into  an  old  swamp,  than 
which  a  worse  one  could  not  be  found  for  miles  around  ;  and 
there  we  had  to  spend  the  long  hours  of  that  rainy  night.  A  few 
fires  were  started  with  rails  brought  from  fences  within  gunshot, 
through  mud  and  water  from  two  to  six  inches  deep  ;  and  here, 
wet  and  foot-sore,  we  were  obliged  to  stay.  Col.  Greenleaf,  as 
well  as  most  of  the  officers,  stayed  with  us,  instead  of  going  into  a 
house  near  by  ;  and  he  has  ever  tried  all  in  his  power  to  make 
everything  easy  for  the  men. 

"  At  noon  on  Monday  we  were  marched  out  to  the  bank  of  the 
river,  where  we  had  a  comfortable  camping  ground ;  but  we  had  a 
short  rest  there,  for  the  next  morning,  Tuesday,  came  the  order  to 
pack  knapsacks,  and  be  ready  to  march  at  a  moment's  notice. 
Here  we  are  again,  so  foot-sore  that  we  can  hardly  walk,  to  march 
seven  miles,  to  guard  a  train  of  wagons  securing  cotton  ;  and,  as  we 
thought  we  had  found  a  comfortable  place  for  the  night,  came  the 
order  to  march  back  again  in  the  dark.  And  to  prevent  men  from 
falling  out  we  were  told  there  was  a  large  force  of  rebels  follow 
ing  us  up,  and  an  attack  upon  our  rear  and  flank  was  expected. 
We  reached  our  camping  ground  again  at  eleven  o'clock,  just  about 
worn  out.  Such  is  simply  what  we  have  been  through  for  the  last 
five  days.  We  hope  now  to  have  a  few  days'  rest  before  we  start 
again,  though  that  is  doubtful.  The  idea  of  marching  back  and 
forth  to  get  a  little  cotton  to  fill  some  speculators'  pockets  is  rather 
galling  to  the  soldiers.  If  we  could  see  the  thing  was  necessary, 


88  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

there  would  be  no  grumbling ;  but  the  worst  times  we  have  had 
were  not  from  necessity, —  at  least,  it  looks  so  to  those  who  have 
suffered  most." 

Sergt.-Major  Whitney's  account :  — 

"  On  Sunday  morning  we  tramped  back  the  three  miles  to  our 
knapsacks,  and  got  water,  food,  and  very  little  rest.  Soon  comes 
the  dreaded  cry,  '  Fall  in ! '  and  we  march  back  seven  miles  to 
those  cross  roads  where  we  spent  the  first  night  out.  The  journey 
is  not  sweetened  by  the  belief  that  we  are  somewhat  foiled,  and 
are  retreating  in  disgrace.  Presently  it  begins  to  rain,  and  for 
two  miles  there  is  a  steady  drench  falling.  The  mud  or  water  is 
anywhere  from  our  ankles  to  our  knees.  The  sergeant-major  cuts 
a  hole  in  each  boot  toe  to  unload  his  boots,  and  goes  on  flinging 
alternate  squirts  of  mud  and  water  from  his  toes  as  he  goes. 
When  Banks  went  on  the  previous  Friday,  he  said  there  the  52d 
will  encamp  on  their  return.  It  was  then  a  good  enough  place  ; 
but,  when  we  got  there  Sunday  night,  it  had  become  a  poisonous 
swamp.  It  is  growing  dark.  Our  wet  knapsacks  are  like  lead  j 
but  where  shall  they  be  dropped?  There  is  nowhere  to  sit  down, 
nowhere  to  sleep. 

"  Night  falls.  Some  fortunate  ones  are  stretched  out  upon  logs, 
confirming  the  conviction  that  they  cannot  be  any  wetter.  Many 
of  the  men,  under  the  stress  of  hard  marching,  have  thrown  both 
overcoat  and  blanket  away.  The  quartermaster  sergeant  and 
sergeant-major  placed  three  rails  together  for  a  house,  put  more 
rails  under  them  for  a  bed,  put  their  rubber  blankets  above  them 
for  a  roof,  and  lay  down  to  attempt  to  sleep.  It  keeps  on  raining 
just  as  hard  as  at  first.  The  spot  for  their  elevated  position  be 
comes  a  channel,  and  then  they  find  themselves  a  dam  across 
a  little  stream.  Never  mind  :  it  rises  against  them,  goes  around 
their  feet,  slides  under  their  necks,  and  filters  through  their  clothes 
and  their  hair.  Soldiers  looking  for  fuel  pull  down  their  house 
over  their  heads  ;  and  so  they  lie  uncovered,  the  water  coursing  by. 
The  doctor  is  not  far  off  :  he  went  to  sleep  sitting  in  grandeur  on 
a  log.  He  is  now  down  like  Dagon.  but,  unlike  Dagon,  whole 
and  asleep.  He  has  fallen  forward,  all  doubled  up  together,  his 
knees,  elbows,  and  fore-arms,  and  the  top  of  his  head  under  water. 
4  If  I  were  only  in  my  father's  pig-pen,'  said  one;  and  all  agreed. 

"  The  sun  struggles  out  at  last;  and  we  are  extricated,  and  moved 
a  mile  west,  to  the  bank  of  the  river.  It  is  an  excellent  place, 
and  we  are  glad  enough  to  get  there.  Our  feet  are  not  only  blis- 


MARCH    BACK    FROM    PORT    HUDSON  89 

tered  with  marching,  but  parboiled  with  the  water  and  slime,  till 
they  have  the  feeling  and  appearance  of  mushrooms.  We  fling 
ourselves  down  upon  the  ridges  of  the  cotton-field,  and  turn  our 
poor  feet  up  to  the  sun,  and  fall  into  a  heavy  and  genuine  sleep, — 
the  first  we  have  had  for  three  nights." 

From  Stowell's  journal  :  — 

"  Last  Sunday,  after  going  this  way  and  that,  we  started  back 
for  Baton  Rouge.  About  three  o'clock  it  began  raining  very  hard, 
and  continued  so  without  cessation  until  the  next  morning.  At 
night,  about  dark,  we  were  turned  into  a  lot  to  camp ;  and  it  was 
the  hardest  night  some  of  us  ever  saw.  There  was  no  place  but 
that  the  mud  and  water  were  ankle-deep;  and  we  were  wet  through, 
minus  dinner  and  supper.  Morning  came  at  last,  and  the  quarter 
master  got  us  a  little  coffee,  which  we  made  in  our  cups,  and  fared 
better.  I  had  inarched  the  day  before  barefooted,  as  my  shoes 
had  blistered  my  feet  so  I  could  not  wear  them." 

B.  S.  Parker  writes  :  — 

"March  20. —  Our  company  were  put  on  picket  again,  and  of 
course  I  came  up  as  one.  Here  the  regiment  had  to  lie  down  and 
without  anything  to  lie  upon,  with  no  covering  but  a  thin  blouse, 
all  sweat  through.  The  next  morning  I  was  stiff  and  sore,  my  feet 
blistered,  and  I  felt  worn  out.  All  the  company  were  in  the 
same  condition.  It  was  on  Sunday,  the  i5th.  At  ten  o'clock 
we  were  ordered  to  fall  in  again,  and  away  we  went.  I  got  tired, 
and  fell  out,  as  a  good  many  others  did.  We  had  scarcely  halted 
before  we  were  ordered  to  shoulder  our  knapsacks  and  march.  I 
thought  I  could  not  walk  a  step  further.  I  did  not  care  to  fall 
behind,  for  we  expected,  the  rebels  might  attack  us  at  any  time ; 
and  the  officers  took  all  possible  care  not  to  have  any  one  left 
behind.  We  marched  the  rest  of  the  day  till  after  dark.  In  the 
afternoon  it  began  to  rain,  and  it  was  a  regular  Southern  rain,  too. 
Rain,  rain,  rain,  for  a  long  time  in  torrents,  drenching  us  to  the 
skin,  and  through  mud  and  water  ankle-deep,  through  sop  and 
splash.  After  dark  we  stacked  arms  in  mud  and  water  from  four 
to  six  inches  deep,  and  stopped  for  the  night.  We  marched  that 
day  some  ten  miles.  We  could  not  lie  down,  for  the  mud  and 
water  would  cover  us  if  we  did.  My  feet  were  parboiled  and 
shrivelled  up,  as  tender  as  a  boil.  The  next  day  we  were  so  used 
up  that  we  could  do  nothing.  And  those  who  could  not  march 
were  ordered  to  report  to  a  hospital  a  mile  or  so  away." 

It  was  interesting  to  observe  the  different  spirit  in  which  men 


90  HISTORY    OF    THE    $2D    REGIMENT 

met  the  discomforts  of  that  rainy  night  in  the  swamp.  When  it 
began  to  dawn,  so  that  the  colonel  could  find  his  way  among  the 
men,  one  of  the  privates  addressed  him,  saying,  "  Now,  colonel,  is 
not  this  as  bad  as  it  could  be  ?  "  "  No,"  said  the  colonel,  "  it  is  not 
as  bad  as  it  could  be."  "  Well,  how  could  it  be  any  worse  ? " 
growled  the  soldier.  "  If  we  had  made  an  assault  this  morning," 
said  the  colonel,  "and  been  repulsed,  and  had  two  or  three  hun 
dred  wounded  men  to  bring  along  and  leave  in  this  swamp,  that 
would  have  been  a  good  deal  worse."  The  grumbler  had  nothing 
more  to  say. 


VIII. 

THE    COTTON    RAID. 
[MARCH  18.] 

"March  17. —  We  were  moved  from  the  swamp  to  an  open 
camping  ground  near  the  river.  It  was  luxury  itself  to  strip  off 
our  mouldy  garments,  and,  while  they  lay  sunning  on  the  grass, 
wash  the  stiff  muscles  and  blistered,  parboiled  feet  in  the  bayou." 

A    COTTON    RAID. 

MARCH  20,  1863. 

My  dear  Wife, —  I  am  lying  on  my  back  in  a  shelter  tent,  about 
seven  miles  above  Baton  Rouge,  on  high,  dry  ground  near  the 
river,  at  Bayou  Montecino.  I  hope  you  will  receive  the  long  let 
ter  of  our  tramp  to  Port  Hudson  and  back  and  the  night  in  the 
swamp.  Tuesday  morning,  March  18,  I  went  to  the  river,  and  had 
a  good  wash  of  my  clothes,  which  I  wrung  out  as  well  as  I  could, 
and  put  them  on  again.  On  returning  to  camp,  I  found  the  order 
had  just  been  received  to  "fall  in";  and  the  regiment  started  at 
once  with  knapsacks,  tents,  and  camp  kettles.  Some  one  had 
blundered.  The  order  should  have  been  without  these  encum 
brances.  We  were  told  that  we  were  only  going  about  four  miles. 
One  mile  brought  us  back  to  the  swamp  on  which  we  spent  Sun 
day  night.  The  road  had  a  familiar  look.  It  was  the  same  on 
which  we  had  marched  to  Port  Hudson  and  back.  It  was  very 
warm  :  the  men  were  fearfully  foot-sore,  and  began  to  fall  out  in 
great  numbers.  We  halted,  after  a  march  of  six  miles,  in  a  good, 
dry  place.  It  was  too  good  to  hope  that  we  were  to  spend  the 
night  there.  In  a  few  minutes  the  order  came  again  to  "fall  in  "  ; 
and,  after  a  march  of  a  mile,  we  turned  into  a  field  wet  and 
springy  as  it  could  be.  After  waiting  till  sundown  for  orders,  we 
had  supper  ;  and  a  splendid  one  it  was  for  me,  for  I  had  some  of 
your  tea.  Before  we  were  half  through,  and  it  was  growing  dark, 
the  order  came  again  to  "  fall  in."  Everything  was  hurried  up, 
and  we  started  on  our  march  back  with  all  haste  to  the  place 
where  we  started  in  the  morning.  John  Barnard,  Co.  D,  suppos 
ing  we  were  to  stay  over  night,  had  climbed  a  tree  to  get  some 


92  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

moss  for  a  bed.  He  lost  his  hold  and  came  to  the  ground  badly 
injured.  We  put  him  into  a  cart,  and  brought  him  along.  We 
were  up  within  a  mile  of  where  our  camp  was  last  Sunday  morning. 
It  was  dark  when  we  started,  and  seven  miles  back.  Such  a  march 
we  have  not  had.  The  rumor  was  that  the  rebels,  informed  of 
our  position,  had  thrown  their  forces  into  the  woods  on  our  left. 
Our  guns  were  loaded,  we  were  ordered  to  abstain  from  talking, 
and  to  move  at  a  rapid  rate.  I  took  my  place  in  the  ranks,  carried 
a  gun  for  a  man  who  was  ready  to  fall  out.  Before  we  got  into 
camp  I  took  another  gun  ;  but,  as  I  had  no  knapsack  and  it  was 
cool,  I  enjoyed  it  very  much.  There  was  no  little  excitement 
about  it.  I  expected  we  should  hear  the  rebel  rifles  crack  at  us  at 
any  moment,  but  no  such  demonstration  was  made.  After  we  had 
made  about  five  miles,  we  reached  the  outposts  of  our  army,  and 
all  sense  of  danger  was  past.  The  order  to  preserve  silence  was 
not  enforced ;  and  such  scolding  and  swearing  you  never  conceived 
of.  Some  of  the  men  were  sullen  and  cross,  some  cheerful,  some 
even  jolly.  I  trudged  along,  first  with  one  company  and  then 
with  another,  and  had  a  good  time  to  talk  in  low  tones  with  the 
men.  Before  we  reached  the  camp  the  men  began  to  straggle 
fearfully.  Company  lines  were  disregarded,  and  men  got  along  as 
they  could.  The  main  batch  were  in  at  n  P.M.,  but  the  stragglers 
were  coming  in  all  night.  No  chance  for  any  tents  that  night, 
We  spread  our  rubber  blankets  on  the  ground,  and  the  woollen 
ones  over  us,  and  I  slept  as  soundly  as  ever  in  my  life.  What  was 
all  this  tramp  for?  do  you  ask.  It  was  to  steal,  or,  rather,  to,  con 
fiscate,  a  lot  of  cotton.  We  escorted  back  a  whole  line  of  bag 
gage  wagons  loaded  down  with  cotton.  I  hear  we  had  ninety-five 
bales.  Whether  it  paid  for  the  wear  and  tear  of  flesh  and  spirit 
I  do  not  know.  Arthur  Browning,  Co.  A,  was  completely  broken 
down.  The  men's  feet  were  a  sight  to  behold.  They  had  been 
parboiled  in  the  water  and  ashes  of  the  swamp  on  Sunday  night, 
and  then  this  march  had  worn  and  chafed  them  badly.  The  whole 
of  the  next  day  was  given  up  to  rest.  Towards  night,  in  company 
with  Quartermaster  Clark,  I  rode  to  Baton  Rouge,  seven  miles, — 
a  succession  of  camps  the  whole  distance.  I  enjoyed  the  ride 
very  much.  It  is  such  a  gallop  —  where  she  can  go  as  she  pleases 
—  that  brings  out  Dolly's  good  qualities ;  but  marching  two  miles 
an  hour,  with  a  crowd  behind,  brings  out  only  her  bad  qualities. 
She  kicks  and  bites  all  she  can  reach.  She  has  a  special  spite 
against  Dr.  S.'s  "  yaller  pony."  I  stopped  with  Lieut.  Stearns,  and 


THE    COTTON    RAID 


93 


he  put  me  upon  a  bed, —  the  first  I  have  had  since  I  left  New  York  ; 
but  I  could  not  sleep.  I  rolled  and  tossed  all  night,  the  air  of  the 
house  seemed  so  hot  and  close. 

The  next  day  was  a  very  busy  one.  Your  express  packages  all 
came  in  good  shape.  I  looked  them  over,  and  made  three  classes  : 
first,  clothing  for  the  hospital ;  secondly,  food  for  the  hospital  ; 
and,  thirdly,  private  packages.  I  worked  upon  these  packages  all 
day.  I  sent  all  I  could  to  the  hospital  for  immediate  use.  More 
than  a  hundred  of  our  men  were  left  here,  and  thirty-seven  had 
been  sent  to  New  Orleans.  At  sundown  I  started  back  to  camp, 
and  had  a  splendid  ride  of  it.  The  heat  was  over,  Dolly  felt  well 
and  the  grass  did  not  grow  under  her  feet.  A  large  portion  of  the 
way  was  through  camps  lining  both  sides  of  the  road.  The  fires 
were  lighted,  the  men  were  lying  and  standing  in  groups  about 
them.  I  reached  camp  at  eight  o'clock,  and  was  soon  in  bed  — 
that  is,  on  the  ground  —  and  asleep.  The  amusing  part  of  this 
camp  life  is  the  variety  of  uses  to  which  things  are  put.  For  in 
stance,  Ball  is  using  his  boots  for  a  candlestick,  and  I  mine,  as 
usual,  for  a  pillow. 

The  next  day  I  wanted  to  go  to  Baton  Rouge,  hoping  I  should 
find  a  mail ;  but  I  concluded  to  send  Ball.  The  colonel  thought 
we  should  stay  where  we  were  two  or  three  days.  I  lay  upon  my 
stomach,  with  a  tin  plate  for  a  writing  desk,  and  wrote  this  letter. 
At  noon  an  order  came  to  be  ready  to  start  for  Baton  Rouge. 
What  a  fix  I  was  in,  to  be  sure  !  My  own  duds,  Ball's  and  Dolly's 
and  no  Dolly  to  carry  them.  I  rolled  them  up,  and  got  them  on 
to  the  quartermaster's  wagon.  I  cut  a  stick  for  a  cane,  and  started 
on  with  the  regiment.  After  walking  about  five  miles,  the  colonel 
insisted  upon  my  taking  his  horse,  which  I  did  for  the  rest  of  the 
way.  We  reached  our  old  camp  ground  at  sundown,  tired  and 
foot-sore  enough.  The  next  day  was  spent  in  getting  things  into 
a  condition  so  that  we  could  live,  but  the  cosey  comforts  of  our 
old  home  are  all  gone.  But  we  are  learning  every  day  how  many 
things  we  can  do  without. 

J.  K.  H.  writes:  — 

"March  18. —  We  hoped  we  were  to  remain  here  for  several 
days,  but  the  order  came  early  in  the  morning  to  be  ready  for  a 
start.  We  were  ready  at  five  o'clock,  but  we  did  not  start  until 
twelve  o'clock.  That  is  another  of  the  ways  of  war.  Two  brigades 
of  us  go  seven  miles  on  the  now  familiar  road  towards  Port 


94  HISTORY   OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

Hudson,  escorting  government  wagons  that  are  sent  out  for  cotton. 
All  along  the  way  wagons  stop  at  sheds,  and  begin  to  load  up.  We 
see  on  every  side  plenty  of  signs  that  the  enemy  have  just  been 
there  in  force.  We  are  close  upon  them  as  they  retire.  We  en 
camp  in  a  fine,  dry  grove,  and  soon  are  falling  asleep.  '  Fall  in  ! 
fall  in ! '  the  word  is  passed  quickly  along,  without  the  usual  tap 
of  drum  ;  and  in  five  minutes  we  are  rushing  back  to  Baton  Rouge. 
It  is  not  thought  prudent  to  stay  in  that  exposed  position.  Scouts 
report  a  heavy  force  of  the  enemy  on  our  left.  We  must  keep  to 
the  ranks,  with  files  well  closed,  pieces  loaded,  mouths  shut,  and 
must  go  at  a  tremendous  rate.  We  have  hardly  five  minutes'  rest 
in  the  whole  seven  miles.  It  is  a  cruel  march  for  men  with  feet, 
and  indeed  bodies,  in  the  condition  of  ours.  Some  of  us  march 
with  bare  and  bleeding  feet.  On  the  latter  and  safer  half  of  the 
road  men  drop  out  to  rest  by  the  roadside  till  morning.  When  we 
get  back  to  the  camp  ground  which  we  left  at  noon,  it  seems  as  if 
all  life  and  spirits  were  crushed  out.  We  have  carried  heavy 
knapsacks  for  fourteen  miles,  when  they  might  as  well  have  been 
left  behind.  I  recall,  as  I  write,  the  tall,  erect  figure  of  the  colonel 
outlined  against  the  midnight  sky  as  he  sat  on  his  horse  at  the 
entrance  to  the  field ;  and  the  ear  still  answers  to  the  tone  of  sym 
pathy  in  which  he  gave  the  last  orders  for  the  night,  and  com 
mended  the  exhausted  men.  The  next  day  we  were  let  alone,  and 
slept  and  washed  and  ate,  though  the  pigs  and  chickens  had 
disappeared  under  the  foraging  of  the  day  before. 

"  On  Friday  we  are  on  the  road  again  at  a  great  gait,  to  wjiich 
we  are  getting  used,  and  back  to  Baton  Rouge,  entering  our  old 
camp  at  Baton  Rouge  after  just  a  week's  absence. 

"But  our  respite  was  a  short  one;  for  on  Tuesday  forenoon  the 
drum  sounded  once  more,  and  the  order  came  to  pack  everything 
again,  and  to  'fall  in.'  Sudden  orders  had  come  to  march.  This 
time  we  were  to  go  out  to  protect  a  heavy  train  of  wagons  about 
to  proceed  along  the  Port  Hudson  road  to  gather  the  cotton 
stored  in  the  planters'  barns.  The  regiment  was  already  foot-sore, 
jaded,  and  suffering  from  want  of  sleep.  Both  my  collar-bones 
turned  *  Peace  Democrats,'  and  protested  against  a  further  prosecu 
tion  of  hostilities. 

"  We  marched  out  seven  or  eight  miles  before  we  halted,  when 
we  reached  a  plantation  from  which  a  rebel  force  had  just  re 
treated.  They  were  hardly  out  of  sight  when  we  came  up,  and  we 
followed  close  after  them  down  the  road.  At  length  we  halted 


THE    COTTON    RAID  95 

for  the  night,  as  we  supposed.  Many  of  the  men  were  much  fa 
tigued  and  sadly  foot-sore.  But  it  was  clear  it  would  not  be  safe 
to  spend  the  night  within  so  short  a  distance  of  the  powerful 
enemy.  After  a  hasty  supper  the  order  came  to  *  fall  in,'  and 
under  the  starlight  we  marched  silently  and  rapidly  back.  I  like 
a  night  march.  The  air  is  more  bracing,  the  roads  less  dusty. 
There  is  far  more  scope  for  romance.  There  was  ample  room  for 
the  play  of  fancy.  The  rebel  scouts,  no  doubt,  had  already 
looked  at  the  embers  where  we  cooked  our  supper,  while  the  cav 
alry  swayed  forward  to  occupy  the  road  as  we  retired.  The  regi 
ment  suffered  sadly.  Many  marched  with  bare  feet,  and  towards 
the  end  of  the  route  sank  to  the  ground  with  fainting  limbs,  to 
pass  the  night  by  the  roadside.  We  reached  the  camp  we  had 
left  in  the  morning  at  midnight.  We  had  strength  only  to  spread 
our  rubber  blankets,  and  fling  ourselves  on  the  ground.  Next 
morning  the  regiment  was  a  poor-looking  crowd  of  hobbling 
cripples.  The  next  day  we  were  ordered  back  to  Baton  Rouge, 
and  to  the  old  camp  under  the  magnolias  which  had  become  home 
to  us.  Ragged,  tattered,  contented,  burnt  like  Indians,  unkempt, 
unshaven,  but  ready  for  another  start.  We  have  marched  fifty 
miles  during  the  week, —  fairly  waded  through  mud,  dust,  heat,  and 
a  deluge  of  rain." 

From  the  chaplain  :  — 

BATON  ROUGE,  March  24. 
MR.  EASTMAN  : 

Dear  Sir, —  I  wish,  through  you,  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of 
$25  from  the  Greenfield  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  to  be 
used  for  the  sick  of  the  52d  Regiment.  It  will  be  sacredly  used 
for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  designed,  and  will  render  good 
service  in  procuring  delicacies  which  the  sick  so  often  need  and 
which  are  not  included  in  army  rations.  We  have  a  good  deal  of 
sickness,  and,  as  we  are  about  moving,  our  regimental  hospital  is 
broken  up.  Thirty-seven  of  our  sick  have  been  sent  to  the  hos 
pital  at  New  Orleans.  Of  the  number  here,  some  are  within  the 
trenches  and  some  within  the  old  U.S.  barracks.  I  wish  I  could 
say  they  are  as  comfortable  as  they  ought  to  be.  It  makes  one's 
heart  bleed  to  go  about  among  these  young  men,  and  witness  the 
sufferings  he  cannot  relieve.  The  women  at  home  have  done  all 
their  generous  natures  have  prompted,  and  we  have  on  hand  piles 
of  sheets  and  bed-ticks  and  shirts  and  bandages ;  but  more  than 
these  are  needed  to  relieve  the  sufferings  of  this  crowd  of  sick 


96  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

men.  There  is,  first  of  all,  the  feeling  of  being  alone,  away  from 
kindred  and  friends  and  the  gentle  ministrations  of  woman  and 
the  home,  which  are  often  harder  to  bear  than  physical  pain. and 
suffering.  We  have  had  a  grand  march  to  Port  Hudson,  and  a 
grand  march  back  again.  I  do  not  know  whether  to  report  a  vic 
tory  or  a  masterly  retreat.  Gen.  Banks's  order  pronounces  the 
object  of  the  expedition  accomplished  ;  and  yet  we  came  back 
sooner  and  quicker  than  we  should  if  our  object  of  the  expedition 
had  been  accomplished. 

BATON  ROUGE,  March  24,  1863. 

My  dear  Wife, —  We  are  back  at  the  old  place,  but  without  the 
comforts  of  the  old  tent.  Indeed,  we  have  rather  shabby  accom 
modations.  I  think  yesterday  was  as  glum  a  day  as  I  have  had 
in  camp, —  the  first  time  I  have  been  at  all  homesick.  In  the 
first  place,  we  had  frequent  and  terrific  showers  of  lightning,  thun 
der,  wind,  and  rain  ;  and  it  was  as  muddy  and  nasty  and  sticky 
about  the  camp  in  general  and  the  chaplain's  quarters  in  particu 
lar  as  it  could  well  be.  Then  there  was  a  throng  of  men  coming 
all  day  long  with  their  letters,  wanting  me  to  repair  postage-stamps 
spoiled  by  the  soaking  that  they  had  had  in  the  swamp  on  that 
memorable  Sunday  night.  The  two  funerals  of  Alfred  Clapp  and 
Washington  Stebbins  did  not  tend  to  promote  cheerfulness.  In 
addition  to  all,  I  had  taken  cold,  and  felt  sore  and  uncomfortable. 
I  had  not  had  much  to  do,  and  no  energy  to  do  what  had  to  be 
done.  On  the  whole,  I  confess  I  was  cross.  I  tried  to  write  an 
acknowledgment  for  the  packages  received  from  home,  but  I  fear 
I  made  a  bungling  matter  of  it.  This  morning  it  cleared  off,  the 
soreness  left  my  bones,  and  the  sourness  my  spirits.  You  caution 
me  not  to  expose  myself.  I  am  less  exposed  than  the  men,  it  is 
true ;  but  I  am  not  free  from  exposure.  In  our  marches  last  week, 
for  instance,  when  we  were  liable  to  be  fired  upon  every  moment,  the 
first  effort  of  the  rebels,  of  course,  would  be  to  empty  the  saddles. 
It  would  do  more  toward  throwing  the  column  into  confusion  than 
anything  else.  I  speak  of  this,  not  to  alarm  you,  but  to  show  that 
the  chaplain  is  not  exempted  from  the  hazards  of  war. 

The  hard  part  of  coming  away  from  Baton  Rouge  was  leaving 
so  many  sick  behind  us.  It  made  me  very  sad,  and  not  a  little 
provoked.  The  general  hospital  is  what  has  been  the  deaf  and 
dumb  asylum.  I  think  it  is  a  well-managed  institution.  One  of 
the  physicians  is  Dr.  Greene,  of  Northampton,  who  feels  a  good 
deal  of  interest  in  the  52d  boys.  To  his  care  I  intrusted  the 


THE    COTTON    RAID  97 

sheets,  etc.,  that  I  had  sent  there.  The  rooms  are  all  well  aired, 
and  the  beds  are  comfortable.  There  are  a  dozen  of  our  regiment 
there,  all  that  Dr.  Sawyer  can  get  in.  There  are  about  five  hun 
dred  in  all.  There  is  a  convalescent  hospital  within  the  entrench 
ment.  Here  are  gathered  about  two  thousand  sick  men,  some 
quite  sick,  others  less  so.  The  hospital  consists  of  old  barrack 
buildings  and  tents.  I  went  yesterday  into  one  of  the  arsenal 
buildings  used  formerly  to  store  arms,  where  I  found  more  than 
three  hundred  sick  men  lying  upon  the  floor.  They  were  in  four 
rows,  extending  the  whole  length  of  the  room.  Their  blankets 
spread  upon  the  floor,  their  only  bed  :  their  knapsacks  served  for 
pillows.  I  found  none  of  the  52d  boys  there. 

In  another  large  building  close  by  there  is  a  room  in  which 
there  are  twenty  or  thirty  52d  boys,  and  in  some  tents  close  by 
there  are  fifteen  or  twenty  more.  They  have  miserable  care,  al 
most  none  at  all ;  for  rarely  does  a  doctor  go  near  them.  Their 
food  is  the  scantiest  and  meanest.  I  hear  that  the  medical  direc 
tor  brags  that  he  does  not  mean  to  make  those  men  very  comfort 
able.  He  means  to  make  it  so  uncomfortable  that  they  will  prefer 
to  join  their  regiments.  In  other  words,  men  really  sick  must 
suffer,  because  there  are  some  men  who  will  shirk  and  stay  in  the 
hospital  when  they  should  be  in  the  ranks.  It  seems  too  hard. 
Our  first  order  yesterday  was  to  take  with  us  all  who  could  be 
moved.  In  the  afternoon  it  was  countermanded,  and  another 
given  to  take  only  those  who  could  stand  a  march.  Of  course, 
all  in  the  hospital  must  stay,  and  twenty-five  or  thirty  more  sick 
in  quarters  when  our  tents  were  struck.  There  had  been  no  pro 
vision  made  for  them.  They  sat  and  laid  about  the  doctor's  quar 
ters  all  the  evening.  Just  before  the  regiment  started  some  am 
bulances  came  and  loaded  them  in,  and  drove  them  off, —  I 
presume  pitched  them  out  in  those  tents,  and  without  the  least 
thing  for  their  comfort  or  anybody  to  care  for  them.  It  is  not 
Dr.  Sawyer's  fault,  though  he  has  to  bear  the  blame  for  such 
things.  The  trouble  is  the  want  of  system  in  the  whole  depart 
ment. 


IX. 

BATON    ROUGE    TO    BRASHEAR    CITY. 
[MARCH  27  TO  APRIL  u,  1863.] 

Col.  Greenleaf's  account:  — 

"  On  the  2 yth  of  March  the  second  brigade  of  Gen.  Grover's  divi 
sion  and  other  troops  steamed  down  the  river  to  Donaldsonville, 
fifty  or  sixty  miles  distant,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bayou  La  Fourche, 
where  all  disembarked  and  camped  on  beautiful  green  grass  for 
the  night. 

"  The  distance  through  La  Fourche  country  from  Donaldsonville 
to  Terre  Bonne  —  about  forty  miles  —  we  made  by  easy  marches? 
and  thence  took  rail  for  Bayou  Bceuf,  near  Brashear  City,  on  the 
Atchafalaya.  And  what  a  change  was  this  from  our  most  cruel 
march  from  Port  Hudson,  and  our  worse  than  Egyptian  night  in 
the  swamp!  'Grim-visaged  war 'had  not  yet  desolated  this  fair 
region,  truly  said  to  be  '  the  Garden  of  Louisiana.'  The  sun  shone 
bright,  skies  were  clear,  breezes  fresh,  roads  excellent,  landscapes 
beautiful ;  the  air  was  sweet-scented,  water  good,  the  verdure 
green  ;  flowers  were  blossoming  in  gardens  and  fields,  birds  were 
singing  in  hedges  and  trees,  children,  white  and  black,  were  prat 
tling  by  the  wayside  or  romping  around  each  family  mansion  ; 
negroes,  old  and  young,  of  all  colors  and  both  sexes,  were  hanging 
in  great  numbers  on  the  fences ;  vast  cultivated  fields  of  sugar 
cane  and  cotton  greeted  our  eyes  on  every  side ;  enlivening 
strains  of  martial  music  floated  on  the  air,  and  patriotic  songs 
were  sung ;  '  the  goose  hung  high,'  and  '  all  went  merry  as  a  mar 
riage  bell.'  This  was  the  pleasant  side  of  war." 

To  Mrs.  Moors:  — 

DONALDSONVILLE,  March  28. 

Here  we  are  in  a  new  place  We  came  this  morning,  and  shall 
probably  leave  in  a  day  or  two.  I  wrote  you  yesterday  from  our 
old  place  at  Baton  Rouge.  About  sundown  the  order  came  to 
strike  our  tents.  We  had  packed  up  all  our  superfluous  clothing, 
to  be  sent  to  New  Orleans.  The  tents  were  struck,  the  floor 
boards  and  cook-houses  and  all  the  debris  of  the  camp  were  set 
on  fire.  The  whole  scene  was  very  picturesque  and  exciting. 
The  army  wagons  were  busy  gathering  up  the  tents  and  baggage, 


BATON    ROUGE   TO    BRASH  EAR    CITY  99 

and  added  to  the  excitement  of  the  hour.  At  8.30  in  the  evening 
the  line  was  formed.  With  drums  beating,  we  marched  to  the 
city,  and  at  once  were  on  board  the  "  Ste.  Maurice,"  and  off.  I 
found  a  sofa  in  the  cabin,  and,  taking  off  my  boots  and  spurs,  was 
soon  asleep. 

We  reached  this  place  this  morning.  Some  of  the  officers,  with 
the  chaplain,  found  a  tavern,  where  we  obtained  a  breakfast,  the 
first  regular  meal  since  I  left  New  York.  We  had  knives  and 
forks,  and  coffee  with  milk  in  it,  fried  eggs  and  ham, —  a  regular 
set-down.  And  it  did  us  good,  for  we  have  fared  pretty  hard  for 
a  few  days.  The  tavern-keeper,  was  very  anxious  that  I  should 
have  some  whiskey,  but  I  was  too  wise  to  yield  to  his  entreaties, 
I  suspect  he  wanted  the  fun  of  seeing  the  chaplain  drunk.  I  did 
not  accommodate  him.  We  marched  out  into  a  field  covered  with 
the  softest  and  cleanest  and  prettiest  carpet  you  ever  saw,  of  real 
clover-leaves  and  blossoms.  Our  tent  was  speedily  pitched,  and  I 
stretched  myself  out  and  slept.  Then  walked  to  a  bayou  just  a 
little  way  from  us.  The  water  is  kept  from  overflowing  the  land 
by  artificial  levees.  Then  to  my  tent,  to  write  this  letter.  Of 
course,  I  cannot  manage  a  pen,  lying  as  I  am  upon  the  ground, 
but  hope  you  can  make  out  this  pencil  scrawl.  A  part  of  it  I  have 
written  by  candle-light,  but  the  bugs  are  big  and  biting.  Please 
refresh  yourself  with  Birdofredum  Sawin's  account  of  his  sol 
diering  in  the  Mexican  War.  It  is  just  the  life  we  are  living  here. 

Our  march  from  Donaldsonville  to  Terre  Bonne,  a  distance  of 
forty  miles,  I  think  our  men  enjoyed  very  much  indeed.  The  road 
was  upon  the  bank  of  La  Fourche, —  a  river  as  large  as  the  Con 
necticut, —  one  of  the  outlets  of  the  Mississippi.  The  water  in  the 
river  was  just  about  on  a  level  with  the  heads  of  the  men  march 
ing  by  its  side.  It  is  kept  from  overflowing  the  country  by  levees, 
upon  the  top  of  which  there  was  room  for  men  to  walk,  single  file, 
and  upon  which  one  could  secure  a  good  prospect  and  good  air, 
and  at  the  same  time  run  the  risk  of  being  popped  over  by  any 
wicked  rebel  who  might  be  concealed  behind  the  levee  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river.  The  country  is  very  fertile,  and  showed 
less  of  the  ravages  of  war  than  we  had  seen  elsewhere.  The 
houses  of  the  planters  are  larger  and  better.  The  country  is 
called  the  "Garden  of  Louisiana,"  but  hardly  a  white  man  or 
woman  could  we  see.  At  every  plantation  we  passed,  swarms  of 
negroes  came  out,  and  welcomed  us  with  rapturous  demonstrations 
of  joy,  invoking  the  blessing  of  all  the  saints  upon  us.  The 


IOO  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

weather  was  as  delightful  as  possible.     We  never  have  at  home 
three  June  days  that  surpass  those  we  spent  in  this  march. 

Sergt.-Major  Whitney's  account  of  this  march  is  as  follows  :  — 

"  We  had,"  he  says,  "  Sherman,  Emory,  and  Grover's  division, 
and  another  brigade  under  Weitzel.  We  took  steamers  at  Baton 
Rouge,  and  dropped  down  the  river  to  Donaldsonville,  where  La 
Fourche  flows  out  from  the  Mississippi,  to  find  its  own  way  to  the 
gulf.  A  march  of  three  days  took  the  command  down  the  bank 
of  the  bayou  to  Thibodeaux  and  Terre  Bonne,  about  forty  miles. 
For  freshness  and  beauty  and  picturesqueness  that  was  a  notable 
march.  The  road  lay  about  six  feet  below  the  level  of  the  watei 
in  the  bayou,  so  that  the  great  steamers  went  by,  towering  for  us 
to  look  up  at.  The  air  was  sweet  with  perfume  and  cool  with 
northern  breezes.  The  beautiful  plantation  homes  were  embow 
ered  in  roses  and  skirted  with  orange-trees  laden  with  ripe  fruit, 
It  was  said  that  we  might  have  gone  around  by  boat  to  New 
Orleans,  and  then  by  cars,  but  Grover  gave  us  this  march  tc 
toughen  us  for  what  was  coming." 

Corp.  Stowell  says  :  — 

"  We  had  to  march  from  Donaldsonville  to  Terre  Bonne,  March 
29, —  a  distance  of  forty  miles.  A  good  march,  on  the  whole 
but  we  were  foot-sore,  and  our  knapsacks,  guns,  and  equipments 
weigh  forty-five  pounds,  and  the  weather  is  very  hot,  and  the  road 
as  dusty  as  it  could  be.  Thibodeaux  we  found  to  be  a  very  pretty 
place,  and  had  not  been  torn  to  pieces  by  shot  and  shells.  We 
had  begun  to  straggle  a  good  deal  before  we  reached  there  ;  but 
an  order  came  to  close  up  the  ranks.  The  flags  were  unfurled, 
the  bands  struck  up  their  finest  music,  and,  tired  as  we  were,  we 
marched  through  the  town  in  as  good  order  and  as  fresh  as  if  we 
were  out  on  dress  parade." 

To  Judge  Mattoon  :  — 

BAYOU  BCEUF,  April  5,  1863. 

My  thoughts  turn  more  earnestly  and  soberly  toward  home  on 
Sunday  than  on  any  other  day.  Not  that  Sunday  is  especially 
marked  in  camp.  I  suppose  many  of  our  regiment  do  not  know 
that  it  is  Sunday.  The  colonel  asked  me  this  morning  if  I  would 
have  a  religious  service.  I  told  him  that,  if  he  could  find  a  decent 
place  for  the  men  to  sit  down,  I  would  preach  ;  but,  as  to  preach 
ing  to  men  standing  in  this  mud-hole  under  a  broiling  sun,  I  should 
not  do  it  except  upon  an  official  compulsion.  We  have  had  a 


BATON    ROUGE    TO    BRASH  EAR  CITY  1OI 

month  of  busy  service.  You  have  probably  heard  of  our  famous 
march  to  Port  Hudson,  and  our  march  back  again.  It  was  not  a 
defeat,  as  we  thought  at  the  time ;  for  the  object  of  the  expedition 
was  partially  successful.  The  expedition  told  severely  upon  the 
men.  When  we  left  Baton  Rouge  a  week  ago  last  Friday,  we  left 
a  good  many  52d  boys  in  the  hospitals,  with  some  1,500  others. 

This  army  is  divided  into  four  divisions :  first,  Gen.  Augur ; 
second,  Gen.  Weitzel ;  third,  Gen.  Emory ;  and,  fourth,  Gen. 
Grover.  The  first  is  left  at  Baton  Rouge.  We  are  a  part  of  the 
second  brigade  in  the  fourth  division.  Our  brigade  is  commanded 
by  Col.  Kimball,  of  the  i2th  Maine, —  the  good  man  for  the  place, 
we  think.  There  are  in  our  three  brigades  fourteen  regiments  and 
three  batteries.  On  Tuesday  last  our  division  commenced  a 
march  for  this  place,  to  re-enforce  Weitzel,  who  had  been  com 
pelled  to  fall  back  from  Berwick  Bay.  We  marched  three  days  in 
succession,  making  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  each  day,  which,  I  be 
lieve,  is  a  good  distance  for  an  army  to  march.  It  was  through 
the  most  beautiful  section  of  the  country  I  have  seen  in  the  State. 
The  plantations  showed  more  culture  than  I  have  seen.  Some  of 
the  houses  and  grounds  are  quite  elegant ;  but  even  here  we  see 
the  terrible  effects  of  the  war, —  hundreds  and  thousands  of  acres 
which  were  cultivated  last  year  with  cane,  which  has  never  been 
cut,  and  is,  of  course,  useless  now.  It  stands  in  rows,  stretching 
back  from  the  river  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach, —  a  gloomy  token 
of  the  desolation  of  war.  In  a  few  cases,  the  old  cane  is  being  cut 
and  burned,  and  preparations  made  for  a  new  crop ;  but  usually 
the  whole  country  is  lying  idle,  and  running  to  waste.  It  is  a 
beautiful  soil  and  a  delightful  climate,  the  very  best  that  June 
affords  at  home.  The  roses  line  the  roads  in  profusion.  The 
lilacs  are  in  full  bloom,  and  fill  the  air  with  their  fragrance.  The 
roads  were  in  good  condition  for  marching ;  and,  on  the  whole,  we 
could  not  have  had  a  more  favorable  time  for  it.  The  men  stood 
it  well ;  but  they  are  very  foot-sore  by  reason  of  their  previous 
marches,  and  we  have  had  a  good  deal  of  grumbling,  of  course. 
We  camped  at  night  in  open  fields  under  our  little  shelter  tents,  and 
in  some  cases  were  lucky  enough  to  get  a  few  eggs  and  a  little 
milk.  At  other  times  we  fell  back  upon  the  inevitable  hard-tack. 
I  walked  most  of  the  way,  and  enjoyed  it  very  much,  especially 
when  they  allowed  us  to  walk  upon  the  top  of  the  levees,  which  are 
some  four  feet  above  the  water  on  one  side  and  six  feet  above  the 
road  on  the  other  side,  and  wide  enough  on  top  for  men  to  walk 


102  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

single  file.  The  last  day  we  were  prohibited  from  walking  there, 
as  we  furnished  too  good  a  mark  for  rebel  rifles  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river. 

We  reached  Terre  Bonne,  where  we  struck  a  railroad  from  New 
Orleans  to  Berwick  Bay.  As  the  country  is  an  unbroken  swamp, 
it  was  planned  that  we  should  be  brought  to  this  place  by  rail ; 
but  the  transportation  was  hardly  adequate.  We  were  ready  to 
start  out  any  hour  of  Friday.  All  of  our  baggage,  tents,  and  blan 
kets,  etc.,  were  sent  on.  So  we  waited  all  Friday  and  all  Friday 
night.  It  was  a  new  experience.  It  was  camping  out  without 
any  of  the  conveniences  of  a  camp.  Luckily,  I  had  Dolly's  blan 
ket  to  spread  upon  the  ground.  It  proved  to  be  a  pretty  cold 
night,  but  we  had  a  camp-fire  where  I  could  occasionally  get  warm. 
In  the  morning  I  started  early  to  a  negro  cabin  at  some  distance, 
and  called  up  the  negro  women  to  make  me  a  hoe-cake  for  breakfast ; 
but  before  it  was  cooked  the  order  was  given  to  load  into  the  cars. 
So  I  went  without  my  hoe  cake,  after  all.  While  waiting  for  the 
train,  an  incident  occurred  which  reveals  only  too  well  the  spirit 
that  animates  those  whom  we  are  compelled  to  obey.  It  seems  a 
negro  joined  one  of  our  regiments  some  time  ago,  and  was  em 
ployed  as  a  servant  by  one  of  the  officers.  On  Friday  an  agent 
of  his  master  came  for  him.  This  agent,  we  learned,  was  once  a 
captain  in  the  rebel  army.  lie  made  application  for  the  negro, 
and  the  order  was  sent  for  him  to  appear.  The  officer  to  whom 
the  order  was  sent  refused  to  receive  it,  and  it  was  returned  pres 
ently  to  headquarters.  Capt.  S.,  of  the  same  regiment,  came  in  a 
great  fury,  and  ordered  the  negro  to  be  given  up.  The  officer  still 
refused,  and  Capt.  S.  drew  his  revolver  and  blustered.  The  men 
of  the  regiment,  who  had  crowded  around  him,  hating  both  Capt. 
S.  and  his  errand,  began  to  show  fight.  Capt.  S.  backed  down  ; 
and  the  negro  took  to  the  woods,  and  is,  to-day,  I  think,  not  far  from 
our  camp.  Gen.  Grover  has  sent  in  an  order  requiring  regimental 
officers  to  return  within  twenty-four  hours  to  the  provost-marshal 
all  negroes  who  have  come  into  our  line  since  we  left  Donaldson- 
ville.  Col.  Greenleaf  is  greatly  perplexed  to  know  what  to  do.  It 
seems,  on  the  one  hand,  to  be  perfectly  unjust  to  the  law  of  Con 
gress  to  require  him  to  aid,  and,  if  necessary,  to  call  in  the  whole 
regiment  to  aid,  in  restoring  fugitives.  On  the  other  hand,  he  is 
not  sure  that  they  intend  to  return  these  men  to  their  masters. 
Perhaps  that  is  not  their  purpose,  though  it  looks  like  it.  But 
what  right  has  Col.  Greenleaf,  or  anybody  else,  to  question  their 


BATON    ROUGE    TO    BRASHEAR    CITY  103 

intentions  ?  His  business  is  to  obey  orders.  He  has  no  right  to 
assume  that  his  superior  officers  are  not  going  to  follow  the  law 
of  the  land.  What  is  he  to  do?  To  make  the  52d  a  party  of 
slave-catchers  is  not  what  we  are  here  for,  and  to  pass  by  orders 
from  superior  officers  is  subversive  to  military  discipline. 

From  Church's  journal :  — 

"  In  the  afternoon  a  company  of  cavalry  came  in  sight,  but 
not  near  enough  for  us  to  tell  whether  they  were  we-uns  or  you-uns. 

"We  are  very  economical  of  government  rations  just  now,  and 
succeed  in  making  them  hold  out  very  well ;  for  we  find  sheep, 
pigs,  and  hens  abundant.  Eggs  and  vegetables  we  don't  count. 
Our  quarters  are  in  an  old  house,  which  we  share  with  a  large 
army  of  hungry  fleas,  which,  thinking  us  their  choice  friends  and 
constant  companions,  make  things  lively  for  us. 

"  At  Bayou  Bceuf  our  best  sport  is  crab-fishing.  A  bit  of  pork, 
with  a  bit  of  landing-net,  are  all  that  are  needed ;  and  the  lining 
of  our  haversacks  furnished  the  net.  He  is  a  poor  soldier  who 
could  not  furnish  a  string  of  crabs ;  and  our  rations  furnished  the 
pork.  While  here,  Lieut.  Ballou,  of  Co.  F,  when  cleaning  his 
revolver,  shot  himself  through  the  foot,  and  was  disabled  for  the 
rest  of  the  campaign.  At  Brashear  City  a  sergeant  took  a  large 
kettle  in  one  hand  and  a  small  one  in  the  other,  and  started  for 
water  to  the  bayou,  whistling  '  The  Girl  I  left  behind  me.'  He 
slung  in  the  small  kettle,  which  he  easily  raised,  filled,  to  the  bank, 
then  dipped  in  the  big  one,  and  was  the  wettest  sergeant  on 
record. 

"  Gen.  Banks  rode  along  where  a  fatigue  party  were  at  work  at 
Brashear  City.  One  of  our  boys,  wishing  to  be  neighborly,  ad 
dressed  him  as  follows  :  — 

"  '  Good  mornin',  Mr.  Banks.  Are  we  going  somewhere  to-day  ? ' 
The  general  smiled,  but  did  not  reply." 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

BAYOU  BCEUF,  April  5,  1863. 

Yesterday  morning  our  whole  brigade  of  four  regiments  was 
packed  on  board  two  trains,  and  brought  through  the  swamp 
twenty  miles  to  this  place.  Some  one  asked  what  I  thought  of  the 
country  as  I  rode  through  it.  I  replied  that  I  thought  the  Lord 
had  not  prepared  this  part  of  the  world  yet  for  man's  use,  that  the 
alligators  and  snakes  ought  to  have  undisputed  possession  for  at 
least  a  thousand  years.  By  that  time  I  thought  it  might  be  fit  for 


104  HISTORY    OF   THE    52D    REGIMENT 

men  to  live  in.  I  was  disappointed  that  I  did  not  see  but  one 
alligator  all  day,  being  in  the  rear  of  the  two  trains.  They  had 
been  frightened  away  before  I  reached  them.  Snakes  are  quite 
abundant.  We  landed  here  at  noon,  where  there  is  not  a  green 
thing  to  be  seen.  It  is  an  old  camping  ground  vacated  by  Gen. 
Weitzel  the  day  before  we  arrived.  It  has  the  musty  smell  of  an 
old  camp,  and  as  filthy  as  it  can  well  be.  The  sun  beats  down 
hot  enough.  I  try  to  keep  quiet  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  No 
village  here  that  I  can  find  ;  but  the  ground  is  high, —  that  is,  a 
little  higher  than  the  water  in  the  river,  which  is  a  branch  of  the 
Atchafalaya.  How  long  we  are  to  stay  here  and  whither  we  are  to 
go  no  one  knows.  I  begin  to  be  impatient  to  see  the  end  of  all 
this.  I  can  stand  the  poor  fare,  the  sleeping  on  the  ground,  the 
hard  marches ;  but  the  feeling  is  very  discouraging  that  we  are 
doing  so  little.  We  have  helped  the  government  steal  a  little  cot 
ton,  and  now  are  expected  to  return  the  slaves  to  their  mas 
ters,  and  put  some  money  into  the  pockets  of  a  few  bloats  like 
Capt.  S., —  that  is  the  whole  of  it.  Yet  I  am  not  homesick  nor 
discouraged.  I  am  bound  to  stick  to  it ;  and  I  hope,  when  the 
time  is  out,  that  I  shall  have  satisfied  my  conscience  and  the 
claims  of  patriotism. 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

BRASHEAR  CITY,  April  10,  1863. 

Bayou  Bceuf  was  the  meanest  place  we  have  been  in.  The  water 
was  slimier  and  smelt  worse.  The  days  were  hot,  and  the  nights 
cool,  and  no  green  thing  about  us.  Worse  than  all,  we  were  on 
short  rations,  and  no  chance  to  buy  anything.  I  suffered  more  from 
hunger  than  ever  before.  I  could  do  nothing  but  growl,  so  gave 
up  attempting  to  write.  Yesterday  we  broke  camp,  and  waited 
for  a  train  to  bring  us  here  ;  but  none  came.  So,  after  waiting  till 
10.30,  when  the  heat  was  most  oppressive,  we  started  on  our 
march,  the  hardest  we  have  had.  The  sun  boiled  down  upon  us  as 
it  can  in  these  hot  latitudes  only.  We  marched  about  ten  miles, 
and  reached  here  about  two  o'clock.  Ball  fell  out ;  Hosmer,  also, 
for  the  first  time.  It  surprises  me  to  see  how  steadily  Mason 
Moody  holds  on.  He  seems  to  be  as  tough  as  anybody  in  the 
regiment.  We  are  on  a  clover-field,  by  the  bank  of  Berwick  Bay. 
It  was  a  sad  sight  to  see  the  men  on  the  march,  gasping  for 
breath  like  heated  dogs.  Many  fainted,  and  laid  by  the  roadside. 
It  seemed  to  us  very  cruel,  as  though  we  might  have  been  brought 


BATON    ROUGE   TO    BRASHEAR    CITY  105 

on  by  rail.  At  least,  we  might  have  come  in  the  cool  of  the  day, 
and  not  have  been  put  through  so  fast.  A  great  many  are  sick 
and  complaining  with  the  effect  of  the  heat,  and  partly  from  the 
improper  food  we  have.  Oysters  abound  here,  and  the  men  buy 
them  in  the  shell.  I  do  not  dare  to  eat  one.  The  despised  hard 
tack  is,  after  all,  the  staff  of  life.  That,  with  decent  coffee,  with 
which  we  are  supplied,  suits  me  better  than  anything  else.  Not 
very  exciting  food,  not  a  great  variety,  but  it  goes  well. 

We  are  waiting  for  orders  to  move  at  any  moment,  to  meet  the 
enemy,  who  are  in  front  of  us.  There  was  skirmishing  and  heavy 
firing  in  the  night ;  but  the  morning  is  here,  and  no  orders  to 
move.  As  we  walked  here,  and  most  of  the  brigades  came  by  cars 
and  boats,  I  hope  they  will  let  them  do  the  righting.  It  looks, 
however,  as  if  we  must  have  a  battle.  We  are  in  as  good  condi 
tion  for  it  as  we  shall  be.  But  only  think  of  it,  we  have  only 
about  five  hundred  muskets !  Our  regiment  is  scattered  every 
where, —  a  hundred  at  Baton  Rouge,  twenty-five  at  New  Orleans, 
seventy-five  sick  at  Bayou  Bceuf.  I  write  this  lying  upon  the 
ground,  with  a  newspaper  for  a  desk,  in  good  hope  and  spirits. 
Our  horses  have  stood  saddled  all  day,  and  no  orders  to  move. 
So  they  were  unsaddled ;  and  we  were  soon  in  bed,  if  not  asleep. 
Oh,  the  mosquitoes, —  they  are  big  ones  !  How  big  I  shall  not  at 
tempt  to  assert,  only  to  say  that  a  good  many  of  them  would  fill  a 
quart-pot.  They  must  have  good  bills  to  get  at  my  feet  through  my 
boots  and  at  my  hands  through  my  gloves.  My  haversack  pro 
tects  my  forehead,  my  beard  a  part  of  my  face,  and  my  tin  plate 
the  rest  of  it :  so  they  get  a  no  "  right  smart  "  chance  at  me.  We 
have  an  immense  army  here, —  how  large  I  do  not  know,  but  they 
have  been  pouring  in  here  rapidly  of  late.  While  we  were  in  that 
sink-hole  at  Bayou  Bceuf,  train  after  train  passed  with  men, —  two 
regiments  to  a  train;  and  they  were  passing  day  and  night.  It 
has  been  so  since  we  reached  here.  Every  hour  or  so  a  train 
passes  crowded  with  soldiers.  They  go  up  by  our  camp  to  the 
Bay,  and  cross  in  boats  to  the  other  side.  I  cannot  learn  pre 
cisely  where  the  rebels  are  posted,  but  somewhere  on  the  Teche 
River,  between  this  and  Franklin.  The  appearance  is  of  warm 
work  very  soon.  I  cannot  realize  it  in  any  degree.  I  cannot  get 
up  any  excited  feeling  at  the  prospect  of  a  battle.  Very  likely  we 
shall  see  nothing  of  it.  I  hope  and  pray  we  may  not.  We  are  in 
the  rear,  so  hope  we  may  not  be  needed. 

On  Monday  last,  at  Bayou  Boeuf,  I  told  the  colonel  I  should 


1O6  HISTORY    OF   THE    520    REGIMENT 

like  to  go  to  New  Orleans  and  see  the  boys  there  in  the  hospital, 
and  get  a  few  knick-knacks,  and  at  the  same  time  get  out  of  Bayou 
Bceuf.  He  was  glad  to  have  me  go  :  so  he  wrote  a  pass,  sent  it, 
and  got  the  colonel  commanding  the  brigade  to  sign  it,  and  then 
sent  it  to  Gen.  Grover  for  his  approval.  It  was  at  once  returned 
disapproved.  The  only  thing  about  it  that  provoked  me  was  that 
he  gave  other  chaplains  passes  whenever  they  asked  for  them.  I 
have  never  asked  before.  The  colonel  is  a  good  deal  disturbed 
about  it.  I  am  not. 

Ball  has  gone  back  to  Bayou  Bceuf  in  an  ambulance,  too  sick 
to  move  along.  Life  is  very  uncertain,  but  life  or  honorable  death 
shall  be  my  motto. 

Bayou  Bceuf,  April '8. —  On  the  2yth  of  March  we  left  Baton 
Rouge  for  Donaldsonville,  and  after  two  days  took  up  the  line  of 
march  down  the  Bayou  La  Fourche  for  Thibodeaux.  Did  you 
ever  see  a  division  on  a  march  ?  It  is  a  moving  sight  in  more 
senses  than  one.  True,  there  is  no  display  about  it.  A  country 
militia  company  of  fifty  men  would  show  more  fuss  and  feathers 
than  that  multitude  of  men  moving  with  uniform  tread.  Tramp  ! 
tramp !  tramp !  Regiment  after  regiment,  sunburt,  stalwart  men, 
little  variety, —  dark  blue  blouse,  light  blue  pantaloons,  knapsacks 
on  the  back,  haversack  and  canteen  on  one  side,  cartridge-box  on 
the  other,  and  musket  on  the  shoulder.  Through  the  "  Garden  of 
Louisiana "  march  our  ten  thousand  men,  some  thirty-eight  or 
forty  miles.  Beauty  of  scenery  in  comparison  with  that  of  our 
New  England  valleys  there  is  none.  Only  large,  flat  plantations, 
well  stocked  with  healthy  negroes.  The  division  is  encamped  on 
the  banks  of  the  Bayou  Bceuf.  Some  sick  were  left  in  the  gen 
eral  hospital  at  Baton  Rouge.  The  regiment  has  lost  by  death 
since  its  formation  thirty-five  men.  We  were  put  on  board  a  train 
on  Saturday  at  Terre  Bonne,  and  reached  this  place  at  noon,  hav 
ing  come  eighteen  miles,  most  of  the  way  through  cypress  swamps 
teeming  with  alligators  and  snakes. 

T.  N.  Austin,  Co.  A,  writes  in  his  journal,  March  30,  at  Donald 
sonville  :  — 

"  Houses  small,  built  like  my  barn. 

"  March  31. —  Marched  by  the  side  of  La  Fourche  about  thirteen 
miles.  We  passed  through  a  fine  country,  but  we  were  so  foot-sore 
and  tired  we  did  not  enjoy  it  very  much. 

"  April  4. —  Took  our  first  railroad  ride  since  we  left  the  North. 


BATON    ROUGE    TO    BRASHEAR    CITY  107 

The  road  was  built  of  clam-shells  ;  and  plenty  of  snakes  coiled  up 
by  the  side  of  the  road,  and  alligators,  too.  At  Bayou  Bceuf  we 
found  a  good  many  blackberries,  which  we  enjoyed  very  much." 

Corp.  Hosmer  writes  of  the  march  from  Donaldsonville  :  — 

"  Seldom  does  an  army  march  under  circumstances  so  delightful. 
The  miles  are  not  weary  ones.  Some  really  remarkable  conditions 
make  our  progress  easy  from  first  to  last, —  a  bright  sky  and  sun, 
a  cool  northern  breeze,  and  a  road  for  the  most  part  in  perfect 
condition  to  receive  the  soldier's  footfall.  Plantation  after  planta 
tion.  Sometimes  the  planter  and  his  family  will  look  out  at  us 
from  behind  a  protection  posted  before  them  on  the  gate.  Such 
tropic  luxury  and  vegetation  !  These  scents  and  zephyrs,  the  bird- 
songs,  the  blue  of  the  heavens,  the  broad  palm-leaves  at  the  plan 
ter's  portico, —  all  these,  and,  I  suppose,  the  foil  to  all  these,  the 
miasma  of  the  swamp  close  at  hand,  and  the  poisonous  serpent 
lurking  there.  At  noon  we  came  to  Thibodeaux.  Before  reach 
ing  there,  the  men  began  to  straggle.  As  we  entered  the  village, 
the  drums  struck  up,  the  flags  were  unfurled,  the  foot-sore  men 
forgot  to  hobble,  the  melting  men  forgot  their  heat.  We  were  all 
straight  and  soldierly.  The  streets  of  the  village  were  full  of 
people,  so  it  became  us  to  make  an  impression  ;  and  the  sound  of 
the  drum  and  fife  is  a  spur  to  the  soldier. 

"We  were  dusty  and  sweaty,  but  I  think  we  made  a  good  impres 
sion.  The  colonel  and  chaplain  are  on  their  horses  again.  The 
day  before  and  to-day  they  have  walked  more  than  half  the  route, 
giving  their  horses  to  the  tired  privates. 

"April  10. —  We  have  left  Bayou  Bceuf,  and  have  made  another 
move,  and  are  now  at  Brashear  City.  We  took  up  the  line  of 
march  yesterday  under  circumstances  which  I  have  before  de 
scribed,  brilliant  enough,  but  becoming  now  an  old  story,  though 
I  confess  I  am  not  so  hardened  that  I  was  not  thoroughly  thrilled 
through  to  hear  a  fine  band  play  'The  dearest  spot  on  earth  to 
me  is  home.'  It  proved  to  be,  by  all  odds,  the  hardest  march  for 
me.  The  sun  was  boiling  hot,  and  the  dust  heavy.  For  the  first 
time  in  my  soldiering,  with  a  red  face  and  blistering  feet,  I  was 
obliged  to  turn  aside  from  the  regiment  and  stop  under  a  tree  to 
throw  away  my  load.  It  was  not  heavy.  Men  in  whole  sections 
had  been  stopping  by  the  roadside  for  a  long  time,  so  that  I  had 
a  good  part  of  the  regiment  for  company  on  my  first  falling  out." 

From  P.  S.  Parker  :  - 

'•'•Brashear  City,  April  10. —  We   left    Bayou    Bceuf   at  10  A.M. 


108  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

yesterday,  and  arrived  here  at  4  P.M.  It  was  one  of  the  hardest 
marches  we  have  had.  The  sick  had  to  be  forced  along  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet.  Our  general  ordered  a  squad  of  men  at  the 
rear  of  each  brigade  with  fixed  bayonets  to  prick  up  those  that 
lagged. 

"April  u. —  We  left  Bayou  Bceuf  on  the  gth  at  10.30,  the  sun 
pouring  down  hotter  than  I  ever  knew  of  in  Massachusetts,  and 
the  hottest  day  I  ever  experienced.  We  had  to  march  to  this 
place,  and  carry  our  knapsacks,  two  days'  rations,  and  our  other 
traps.  The  regiment  reached  here  at  half-past  three.  I  never 
had  the  heat  take  hold  of  me  so  before.  I  never  had  so  hard  a 
headache.  It  seemed  as  though  my  head  would  burst  open.  I 
kept  on  as  long  as  I  could,  and  fell  out.  I  had  for  company  some 
of  the  strongest  men  in  the  regiment.  About  half  of  some  of  the 
companies  fell  exhausted  on  the  road.  It  is  dreadful  marching  in 
such  heat,  carrying  such  a  load,  and  being  put  through  so  fast ; 
but,  if  I  can  stand  it,  I  shall  not  complain.  We  expected  to  march 
forward  the  same  night  and  put  into  battle  ;  but  we  did  not,  and 
had  yesterday  to  rest  in.  The  rebels  have  encamped  in  large 
forces  a  few  miles  ahead  of  us,  and  will  probably  fight  hard.  My 
health  is  pretty  good,  and  with  a  little  rest  I  should  be  all  right. 
Such  marching  makes  us  all  grow  old.  A  grand  strike  is  to  be 
made,  and  no  retreat  now.  For  us  it  is  victory  or  death." 


WAR    /VYAP    OF^SOUTHERN    LOUISIANA. 


X. 

UP    THE    TECHE.— BRASHEAR    CITY   TO    INDIAN    RIDGE 
OR    IRISH    BEND. 

[APRIL  ii  TO  APRIL  14.  1863.] 

Of  the  expedition  up  the  Teche  into  the  very  heart  of  Louisiana 
I  must  give  some  details,  leaving  Col.  Greenleaf  and  Sergt.  Whit 
ney  to  describe  the  general  movement.  I  limit  myself  to  what 
concerned  the  52d  Regiment. 

Col.  Greenleaf's  account :  — 

"At  Brashear  City,  Banks  perfected  his  plans,  and  issued  his 
orders  for  an  attack  on  Gen.  Taylor  in  his  intrenched  position  at 
Bisland,  previously  mentioned.  Gen.  Banks  himself  was  to  cross 
the  Atchafalaya  with  the  main  body,  move  up  the  Teche,  and  at 
tack  in  front;  while  Gen.  Grover,  with  his  division,  was  to  take 
transports  to  a  designated  point  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Grand 
Lake,  disembark,  and  take  position  near  the  Teche,  on  the  road  to 
Franklin,  from  which  position  he  could  either  co-operate  with  his 
superior  in  the  attack  or  place  himself  with  his  command  in  rear 
of  Taylor  on  the  Franklin  road,  to  cut  off  his  retreat  as  he  (Banks) 
should  signal  him  to  do. 

"  The  Atchafalaya  at  Brashear  City  is,  in  column  of  water,  much 
like  the  lower  Hudson,  and  navigable,  as  well  as  Grand  Lake,  for 
large  ocean  steamers.  At  this  point  Grover's  division  took  trans 
ports  for  Grand  Lake  on  the  nth  of  April,  and  landed  at  Irish 
Bend,  on  the  west  shore  of  the  lake,  on  the  morning  of  the  i3th. 
Among  the  transports  of  this  little  fleet  was  the  fine  iron  ocean 
steamer  'St.  Mary,'  on  which  'this  deponent'  afterwards  made 
several  voyages  from  New  Orleans  to  Brazos  de  Santiago,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande  ;  and  on  this  beautiful  steamer  were 
packed  nearly  four  regiments  of  the  division,  of  which  one  was 
the  52d  Massachusetts.  We  thought  ourselves  closely  packed  on 
board  the  '  Illinois,'  on  our  passage  from  New  York ;  but  elbow- 
room  was  at  a  premium  on  board  the  '  St.  Mary,'  as  compared  with 
what  it  was  on  the  '  Illinois,'  close  as  were  our  quarters  there. 

"  Our  fine  steamer  is  now  full  to  overflowing,  so  that  the  men 
appear  to  lie  two  or  three  deep  on  deck ;  while  some  hang  up  in 
the 'shrouds,' and  others  stand  leaning  against  or  crouching  on 


112  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

the  bulwarks.  We  are  literally  '  as  thick  '  on  board  '  as  three  in  a 
bed  ' ;  but,  with  some  little  grumbling,  we  manage  to  endure  the 
discomfort  for  about  forty  hours, —  two  nights,  one  day,  and  part 
of  another, —  when  we  land,  and  follow  other  troops  across  the 
Teche,  while  they  (being  in  advance)  are  having  a  smart  skirmish 
with  the  enemy,  but  driving  him  before  them. 

"  At  night  we  bivouac  near  the  Teche  on  fine  grounds,  known  as 
Madam  Porter's  Plantation,  on  which  a  short  time  before,  it  was 
said,  several  hundred  negro  slaves  had  been  employed. 

"  The  chaplain  and  colonel  spread  their  two  rubber  blankets  be 
tween  what  had  been  two  rows  of  corn  or  cane,  lay  down  together, 
like  the  lamb  and  the  wolf,  pulled  their  woollen  blankets  over 
themselves,  and,  remembering  Young's  '  Night  Thoughts '  (having 
once  read  them  in  the  days  of  their  youth),  lost  no  time  in  seeking 
'  tired  Nature's  sweet  restorer,  balmy  sleep.'  And  they  got  it,  too, 
as  handsomely  as  any  two  tired  mortals  ever  did,  until  about  mid 
night,  when  a  drenching  shower  came  up  and  flooded  them  out  of 
their  low  bed  between  the  ridges.  They  both  arose,  wet  to  the 
skin.  Neither  the  chaplain  nor  his  equally  unfortunate  bed-fellow 
indulged  in  any  profane  language  on  the  occasion ;  but  it  was 
thought  that  they  fully  shared  the  feeling  of  the  pious  farmer  dea 
con,  when  he  had  his  large  field  of  choice  clover  completely  ruined 
by  drenching  showers,  just  as  it  was  ready  to  be  '  gathered  into 
barns.'  The  good  deacon  is  reported  as  saying,  on  surveying  his 
ruined  clover,  'The  Lord  knows  I  don't  wish  to  find  fault  with 
anybody,  but  there's  reason  in  all  things  /' 

"At  daylight,  on  the  morning  of  the  i4th,  the  brigade  was  or 
dered  into  line,  and  soon  after  marched  for  the  battle-ground  of 
Indian  Ridge. 

"  We  found  the  highway  in  splendid  condition  :  the  morning 
was  bright  and  rosy,  and  the  surrounding  country,  with  its  almost 
tropical  scenery, —  with  the  perfume  of  flowers  and  songs  of  birds 
in  the  air,  with  the  odors  of  the  jessamine  and  notes  of  the  mock 
ing-bird  wafted  on  the  dewy  wings  of  the  morning, —  charmed  and 
delighted  the  senses  of  our  advancing  hosts  as  the  landscape  ex 
panded  in  all  its  spring  beauty  before  them.  How  much  more 
suggestive  of  peace  and  happiness  is  this  beautiful  dawn  and  these 
delightful  surroundings  than  of  strife  and  bloodshed,  which  we  are 
so  soon  to  witness  !  An  easy  march  of  an  hour  or  two  brings  us 
within  sight  as  well  as  sound  of  the  battle-field.  Our  advance 
has  engaged  the  enemy,  who  proves  to  be  a  portion  of  Gen.  Dick 


UP    THE    TECHE  113 

Taylor's  command;  and  the  i2th  Connecticut,  Col.  Birge,  and  the 
25th  Connecticut,  Col.  Bissel,  are  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight.  The 
second  brigade  moves  on  to  the  field  and  forms  in  line  of  battle, 
the  right  of  the  52d  Massachusetts  resting  on  a  wagon  road  run 
ning  through  the  contested  field. 

"  On  this  road  is  a  continuous  line  of  ambulance  men  with 
stretchers,  on  which  the  wounded  are  constantly  being  carried  to 
our  rear,  where  hospitals  have  already  been  established.  We 
sicken  at  the  ghastly  sight,  listen  to  the  terrible  roar  of  cannon 
and  the  almost  incessant  roll  of  musketry  in  front,  anxiously  watch 
the  progress  of  the  fight  before  us,  and  expect  every  moment  to  be 
ordered  in.  It  is  our  first  battle  proper.  A  few  miles  away  we 
distinctly  hear,  also,  the  guns  of  Banks  and  Taylor ;  and  we  know 
that  the  battle  of  Bisland  is  in  progress  as  well  as  ours  of  Indian 
Ridge.  It  is  to  us  a  momentous,  anxious  hour.  But  soon  the 
enemy  retreat  before  Grover's  vigorous  attack,  and  leave  him,  with 
a  loss  of  about  four  hundred  killed  and  wounded,  master  of  the 
field. 

"The  second  brigade  did  not  participate  in  this  spirited  engage 
ment.  It  was  held  in  reserve  throughout. 

"  In  the  mean  time  Banks  had  assaulted  Taylor  with  great  vigor 
in  his  stronghold  on  the  Teche,  by  both  land  and  water.  Taylor, 
after  a  stubborn  fight,  had  been  driven  from  his  position,  and  the 
signal  ordered  for  Grover  to  cut  off  his  retreat  up  the  Teche,  via 
Franklin.  But  (as  I  have  since  been  informed  by  Capt.  Mack,  of 
the  i8th  New  York  Battery),  unfortunately  for  the  success  of  the 
combined  attack,  and  owing  to  a  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of  a 
distinguished  general  officer  (Gen.  Emory)  as  to  the  character  of 
the  signal  to  be  given,  he  countermanded  the  order  given  by  Gen. 
Banks  to  Capt.  Mack  to  make  the  signal ;  and  the  result  was  that, 
while  we  lay  impatiently  on  our  arms  awaiting  the  signal,  the 
ememy  '  passed  by  on  the  other  side,' — of  the  wood, —  and  escaped 
up  the  Teche  ;  'and  thus,'  as  Washington  Irving  would  say,  'the 
auspicious  moment  passed  by.' 

"  And  now  comes  a  forced  march,  such  as  few  soldiers,  in  any 
cause  or  age  or  clime,  have  ever  been  compelled  to  make,  from 
Franklin  to  Opelousas  — occupying  five  days  — in  pursuit.  Much 
of  the  country  between  these  two  points  was  magnificent,  and  the 
roads  were  good ;  but  the  sun  was  scalding  hot,  dust  almost  thick 
enough  to  cut  with  a  knife,  and  water  mostly  bad. 

"  At  New  Iberia,  on  the  Teche,  thirty-two  miles  from  Franklin, 


114  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

by  order  of  Gen.  Banks,  yet  much  to  our  regret,  we  left  four 
companies  of  the  520!  Massachusetts, —  A,  E,  F,  and  G,  Capt.  Long, 
Capt.  Richmond,  Capt.  Stone,  and  Capt.  Bliss, —  to  occupy  and 
hold  the  town,  Capt.  Long  having  been  assigned  to  the  command 
of  that  post  by  the  same  order.  Here  also  the  colonel  of  the  52d 
Regiment  was  temporarily  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  second 
brigade  (what  there  was  left  of  it),  Col.  Kimbal,  our  regular  brig 
ade  commander,  having  been  sent  with  the  i2th  Maine  and  the 
4ist  Massachusetts  on  an  expedition  to  Petit  Anse  Island,  to  de 
stroy  the  enemy's  extensive  salt-works,  located  at  that  point. 

"  This  change  in  the  command  of  the  brigade  was  made  the 
evening  of  the  i6th  of  April,  and  in  one  respect,  at  least,  the 
change  proved  unfortunate ;  for,  owing,  it  is  supposed,  to  a  change 
of  brigade  headquarters  the  night  before,  Banks's  general  order 
to  march  at  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  lyth  failed  to  reach 
the  new  commander  until  the  time  had  actually  arrived  tor  forming 
his  line,  so  that  the  command  had  no  time  whatever  for  breakfast, 
or  even  to  make  coffee,  nor,  indeed,  was  the  opportunity  offered 
to  cook  anything  during  the  entire  day's  march.  The  day  proved 
to  be  sweltering  hot,  the  water  abominable,  and  the  pace  from  day 
light  until  sundown  a  killing  one  for  infantry." 

From  B.  S.  P.  :  — 

"New  Iberia,  April  18. —  Our  forces  have  been  engaged  with 
the  rebels  at  a  place  called  Indian  Ridge.  Our  regiment  was  held 
in  reserve,  and  took  no  active  part  in  the  battle,  as  the  rebels  re 
treated  just  as  we  were  to  be  called  in.  The  loss  on  our  side  has 
been  very  great.  Many  officers  have  been  killed  or  wounded. 
Those  who  visited  the  battle-field  said  it  was  a  sad  sight, —  dead 
men  and  horses,  guns,  knapsacks,  blankets,  haversacks,  and  all 
soldiers'  accoutrements  strewn  over  the  ground.  It  is  a  very  dif 
ferent  thing  to  be  at  home  and  read  of  battles  from  what  it  is  to 
be  where  the  balls  are  whistling,  the  shells  bursting,  and  see  the 
wounded  and  mangled  men  brought  off  the  field  to  the  rear  on 
stretchers.  After  the  battle  we  encamped  near  the  bayou.  Cos. 
A  and  K  went  out  on  picket  duty  some  two  miles  from  camp. 
Hardly  had  time  to  eat  our  breakfast  before  we  were  ordered  to 
fall  in  and  march  away.  We  marched  this  day  on,  on,  on, —  the 
longest  march  we  have  ever  had  in  one  day, —  carrying  such  loads  ! 
It  seemed  as  if  we  never  should  stop.  Our  boys  were  pretty  well 
used  up.  We  marched  twenty -five  miles.  The  next  day  we 
started  on,  and  I  kept  up  as  long  as  possible.  My  side  ached  so 


UP    THE    TECHE  Ixr 

that  I  had  to  fall  out.  Two-thirds  of  our  regiment  fell  behind, 
and  only  one-third  came  in  and  stacked  arms  at  night.  Cos.  A, 
E,  H,  and  G,  were  left  here ;  and  Capt.  Long  is  provost-marshal. 
The  rest  of  the  regiment  have  gone  on.  We  left  several  of  our 
men  at  Brashear  City ;  but  it  is  no  place  to  be  sick  anywhere  in 
the  army.  Most  of  the  hospitals  are  poorly  furnished,  except  at 
some  place  like  Baton  Rouge,  where  supplies  are  readily  obtained. 
Many  of  the  boys  are  used  up,  and  are  getting  old  and  worn  out. 

"  Dr.  Sawyer,  at  the  battle  of  Indian  Ridge,  got  the  name  of 
being  the  best  surgeon  there.  He  would  dress  two  wounds  to 
any  other  surgeon's  one.  He  took  right  hold,  and  did  all  he  could 
to  relieve  the  wounded  sufferers." 

From  Stowell's  journal :  — 

"We  expected  to  meet  the  enemy  very  soon.  We  learn  that 
they  are  well  fortified ;  but  I  am  confident  that  we  can  sweep  them 
out.  I  am  more  fearful  they  will  skedaddle.  We  were  crowded 
into  the  boats  as  thick  as  we  could  stand.  Every  inch  of  room 
was  occupied,  as  we  did  not  expect  to  be  aboard  but  two  or  three 
hours ;  but,  by  reason  of  some  delay,  we  were  aboard  forty  hours. 
We  were  so  crowded  we  could  neither  lie  down  nor  sit  up.  All 
are  drenched  with  mud,  and  cramped.  After  landing,  we  skir 
mished  all  day.  At  dark  both  sides  stopped,  and  we  were  allowed 
to  rest  awhile,  though  still  kept  in  line  of  battle.  Our  regiment 
were  in  a  ploughed  field ;  and  we  laid  down  in  a  line,  and  were  soon 
asleep,  gun  in  hand.  Of  course,  we  had  no  supper ;  and,  in  fact, 
we  had  had  nothing  but  hard-tack  for  two  or  three  days  before. 
We  had  slept  an  hour  or  so,  when  the  rain  began  to  pour  in  tor 
rents  ;  but  no  help  for  it.  Our  main  efforts  were  to  keep  our  guns 
and  powder  dry,  which  was  somewhat  difficult  with  the  water  an 
inch  deep  under  us  and  pouring  down  over  us.  At  four  o'clock 
A.M.  we  were  in  line  again,  but  we  did  not  march  till  six.  The 
enemy  were  posted  on  the  edge  of  the  woods,  with  their  gun-boat 
'  Diana '  just  back  of  them,  throwing  shell  as  fast  as  possible.  At 
last  we  compelled  them  to  blow  her  up,  and  soon  their  line  was 
forced  to  retreat.  In  the  afternoon  we  were  engaged  burying  the 
dead  and  bringing  in  the  wounded.  I  never  wish  to  witness  such 
another  sight.  I  had  no  means  of  knowing  the  loss,  but  it  must 
have  been  several  hundred  on  each  side." 

Sergt.-Major  Whitney's  article  in  the  Springfield  Republican, 
much  abridged :  — 

Weitzel  took  the  lead  in  crossing  the  Atchafalaya,  and  pressed 


Il6  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

westward  to  the  enemy's  strongest  entrenchments,  seven  miles 
away.  Grover's  men  are  packed  closely  upon  four  gun-boats  and 
five  transports.  Upon  the  little  "  St.  Mary  "  were  the  24th  and 
25th  Connecticut  and  the  52d  Massachusetts  and  Nims's  battery, 
with  many  horses,  so  that  the  men  could  not  stretch  themselves 
out,  and  literally  slept  upon  their  arms,  in  extreme  discomfort.  We 
crept  up  the  bayou  into  Grand  Lake,  and  half-way  up  its  western 
shore  was  the  place  known  as  Madame  Porter's  shell  bank.  But 
the  gun-boat  that  was  to  escort  us  ran  aground,  and  has  changed 
the  whole  plan  of  the  movement.  The  accident  made  a  great 
deal  of  difference  with  the  question  who  should  be  killed  or 
wounded  in  the  fight  that  was  sure  to  come.  Had  the  troops  been 
landed  early,  the  fight  would  have  come  off  that  day,  when  our 
second  brigade  was  leading,  and  the  loss  would  have  fallen  chiefly 
upon  us ;  but  we  were  delayed  one  day,  and  then  the  third  brigade 
was  in  the  advance.  We  landed  about  noon,  amid  the  fire  of  the 
skirmishers  and  the  artillery. 

We  pass  wounded  men  and  Confederate  prisoners.  Wre  stretch 
the  fan-light  lines  of  our  own  skirmishers,  Nims's  battery,  with 
which  we  had  much  to  do  through  that  year,  pass  between  our 
own  ranks,  and,  taking  position,  shelled  everything  opposite  that 
looked  suspicious.  We  stand  at  ease  in  the  road,  and  a  queenly 
woman,  elegantly  dressed  and  bareheaded,  with  jet  black  hair, 
passes  to  find  Gen.  Grover,  to  beg  for  the  life,  if  possible  the  re 
lease,  of  her  son.  "  The  poor  boy  was  quite  innocent,"  and  has  just 
been  taken  prisoner,  and  stands  close  by  under  guard  in  Confed 
erate  gray, —  tall,  fierce,  and  haughty,  nineteen  or  twenty  years  of 
age.  Gen.  Grover  listens  in  silence;  and  then  she  walks  back 
again,  the  same  lank,  dusty,  and  grizzled  man  of  Co.  H  escort- 
ng  her,  with  his  musket  upon  his  shoulder.  She  is  the  great 
woman  of  that  region.  The  negroes  say  she  owns  the  whole  field 
about  her,  and  has  six  hundred  and  eighty-five  slaves,  and  spends 
her  summers  at  Newport.  Her  mansion,  a  fine  one,  shines  among 
the  trees  a  half-mile  back;  and  a  protecting  detail  from  the  52d 
Regiment  sit  comfortably  on  the  front  piazza  to  guard  it. 

When  the  sun  is  at  the  horizon,  we  throw  ourselves  upon  a  field, 
taking  for  pillows  the  ridges  made  by  the  plough.  Down  comes 
the  rain  and  up  comes  the  wind,  adding  another  almost  sleepless 
night  to  the  last  two  we  passed.  Not  even  the  heavy  equipments 
can  be  taken  off ;  for,  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  every  man 
must  be  ready  against  a  night  attack.  At  four  o'clock  the  next 


UP    THE   TECHE  117 

morning  we  are  up  and  off,  with  only  a  few  green  blackberries  to 
moisten  our  breakfast  of  hard-tack.  We  have  lived  on  our  haver 
sacks  since  leaving  Brashear  City.  Miserably  wet,  weary,  and 
hungry,  we  throng  down  the  road,  and  stop  only  to  find  ourselves 
the  reserve  and  spectators  in  a  sharp  action  that  has  already 
begun.  The  firing  on  both  sides  is  sharp  and  continuous.  The 
surgeons  choose  their  location  at  a  neighboring  sugar-house,  and 
are  soon  at  their  work.  They  make  a  pile  of  legs  and  arms,  feet 
and  hands.  You  would  better  not  look  at  such  things  if  you  are 
about  to  expose  yourselves  to  the  probability  of  contributing  to 
that  ghastly  pile.  At  last  the  rebels  yield  the  field.  Rebel  pris 
oners  in  considerable  numbers  are  marched  to  the  rear.  The  third 
brigade  seem  to  be  spent.  In  that  little  time  they  have  lost  three 
hundred  and  twenty  men.  When  the  sun  is  near  the  horizon, 
leaving  the  surgeons  attending  to  the  wounded,  a  burial  party 
gathering  up  the  dead  and  laying  them  in  a  common  grave,  we 
marched  to  a  pretty  field  sloping  to  the  Teche,  and  encamped. 
The  neighboring  plantations  eke  out  the  rations,  fresh  beef  being 
served  by  the  commissary  ;  and  we  sleep  long  and  well. 

The  chaplain  on  the  "  St.  Mary  "  :  — 

April  ii  we  were  packed  with  three  other  regiments  and  Nims's 
battery  on  board  the  little  steamer  "  St.  Mary "  to  cross  Grand 
Lake.  It  was  the  intention  to  keep  us  on  board  but  a  few  hours, 
but  one  of  the  gun-boats  which  was  to  accompany  us  ran  aground, 
and  we  were  compelled  to  remain  on  board  forty  hours ;  and  most 
uncomfortable  hours  they  were  to  most  of  the  privates,  crowded 
so  that  it  was  impossible  to  lie  down.  The  officers,  on  the  other 
hand,  had  the  cabin,  and  were  made  as  comfortable  as  possible. 
A  table  was  set,  real  plates,  cups  and  saucers,  knives  and  forks, 
and  all  such  things  which  revive  memories  of  things  which  have 
been.  But  my  jaundice  had  become  so  much  my  master  that  it 
must  be  attended  to,  so,  instead  of  the  luxuries  of  the  table,  I  in 
dulged  in  blue  pills  and  rhubarb.  I  had  hoped  for  some  rest ;  but 
in  came  a  mail, —  two  bags  full, —  and  it  was  all  hurry  and  work  to 
get  it  distributed,  and  I  was  so  wearied  that  I  turned  in  without 
reading  my  letters.  We  stayed  on  board  from  Saturday  P.M.  to 
Monday  noon,  having  crossed  the  Bay.  When  we  attempted  to 
land,  the  rebels,  by  some  emphatic  shells  thrown  at  us,  seemed  to 
say,  "  No,  you  don't  land  here  !  "  But  we  answered  them  with  some 
shells  more  emphatic  than  theirs,  "  We  will  land  here  !  "  April  13 
I  found  on  landing  that  the  horses  of  the  brigade  had  been  left 


Il8  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

behind.  The  rebels  had  fallen  back  a  little  ways,  and  we  might 
see  or  hear  from  them  at  any  moment.  The  surgeons  got  out  their 
instruments  and  stretchers,  and  we  started  on.  My  blanket,  over 
coat,  etc.,  were  safely  strapped  on  Dolly's  back,  and  when  I  should 
see  her  no  one  could  tell.  So  I  had  nothing  to  look  after  except 
my  haversack  and  canteen.  I  trudged  on  with  the  rest.  After  a 
few  miles'  march  we  came  upon  a  battery  of  rebels,  which  one  of  ours 
soon  shelled  out.  By  that  time  night  came  on,  and  we  must  halt. 
We  spread  out  on  each  side  of  the  road,  and  the  men  lay  on  their 
arms.  The  men  lent  me  a  blanket.  The  colonel  spread  down  his 
rubber  in  a  ditch  between  two  cotton  rows.  He  and  I  lay  down 
and  spread  our  blankets  over  us,  till  a  shower  came  up  and  deluged 
us.  Next  morning  we  were  early  on  the  move. 

From  Church's  journal :  — 

"  April  ii.  —  Our  whole  brigade,  battery  and  all,  were  packed 
aboard  a  little  steamer  called  '  St.  Mary.'  Talk  about  packing 
herrings  in  a  box  :  they  have  large  room  in  comparison.  It  was 
hot  on  shore,  hotter  on  the  water,  and  hottest  in  those  crowded 
decks.  When  we  lay  down,  the  outside  men  hung  overboard  ;  but 
there  was  no  danger  of  falling  into  the  water,  for  the  men  over 
lapped  each  other  like  shingles  on  a  roof.  We  were  aboard  forty 
hours.  After  landing,  we  had  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper,  all 
in  one.  It  was  our  first  square  meal  for  three  days.  While  we 
dined,  we  were  called  up  to  support  the  battery.  We  had  no  time 
for  after-dinner  conversation,  but  shouldered  our  muskets,  and 
were  in  the  march,  keeping  step  to  the  music  of  'the  artillery  and 
musketry  firing  in  our  front.  After  a  sharp  scrimmage,  we  lay 
down  with  our  arms,  and  on  the  next  morning  we  were  up  early ; 
and  we  witnessed,  but  did  not  share  in,  the  battle  of  Indian  Ridge. 
We  were  retained  in  the  rear  while  the  first  brigade  forced  their 
way  to  the  front.  It  was  a  hard  place.  One  man  thought  it 
time  to  secure  a  safe  place  for  his  knapsack.  He  started  to  do  so, 
but  the  captain's  revolver  convinced  him  that  his  knapsack  was 
safe  where  he  was.  The  Johnnies  gave  up  the  field,  and  went 
their  way.  An  expert  butcher  and  myself  were  detailed  at  night 
to  go  to  a  pasture  near  by  and  kill  a  beef  for  the  company.  We 
had  both  been  two  nights  without  sleep,  and  did  not  like  the  order. 
It  was  twelve  at  night  before  we  were  in  our  blankets,  too  tired  to 
eat  any  of  the  meat  we  had  secured." 

From  J.  K.  H.  :  — 

"April  ii  Gen.  Grover's  division  embarked  at  Brashear  City. 


UP    THE   TECHE  119 

On  the  transport  '  St.  Mary  '  we  underwent  a  packing  to  which  the 
stowage  aboard  the  *  Illinois'  was  nothing.  Our  little  boat  carried 
three  regiments,  horses,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  men  of  a  bat 
tery.  We  went  on  board  Saturday  afternoon,  expecting  to  remain 
there  but  a  few  hours  ;  but  we  really  stayed  forty  hours.  We  could 
not  lie  down,  so  sat  with  our  legs  curled  under  us  in  a  blazing 
hot  sun,  under  which  we  almost  popped  out  on  the  deck  like  ker 
nels  of  corn  on  an  iron  plate.  Night  came,  and  I  slept  with  men 
crowding  everywhere,  right  beneath  me  four  or  five  muskets  not 
covered  over.  I  got  up  in  the  morning  tattooed  like  a  Carib  where 
the  steel  projections  of  the  muskets  had  pressed  into  my  back  and 
legs.  Monday  morning,  when  the  fog  lifted,  a  regiment  or  two 
was  put  ashore  from  the  fleet,  and  found  a  party  of  rebels  on  hand 
to  oppose  the  landing.  The  firing  was  sharp  for  a  few  minutes, 
when  the  enemy  retired  and  we  had  opportunity  to  land.  In  the 
afternoon  we  were  on  the  march.  We  plunged  into  a  tall  forest 
where  there  was  a  dense  undergrowth  of  canes,  the  road  under 
neath  a  perpetual  quagmire.  The  road  was  heavy,  and  cut  deep 
with  artillery  wheels,  through  whose  ruts  we  waded  and  jumped, 
with  every  now  and  then  a  sound  of  cannon  to  stimulate  us  from 
the  advance.  At  night  we  crossed  the  Teche  by  the  bridge  which 
the  rebels  had  attempted  to  burn,  companies  of  the  52d  now  de 
ployed  as  skirmishers.  A  section  of  the  Massachusetts  battery 
went  out  across  the  field,  under  charge  of  a  straight,  finely  riding 
lieutenant,  and  presently  were  at  it,  throwing  shell  into  clumps  of 
trees  where  there  were  suspicious  signs.  A  squad  of  rebel  prison 
ers  went  by  us  under  a  convoy  of  cavalry.  They  were  stout,  well- 
fed  men,  some  in  butternut  dress,  some  in  gray.  We  camp,  as  we 
often  do,  in  a  ploughed  field.  We  are  sadly  in  want  of  sleep,  for 
during  the  two  previous  nights  we  have  had  almost  none.  We  da 
not  stop  to  pitch  tents,  but  lie  down  in  the  furrows,  trying  to  make 
provision  against  the  impending  rain.  Down  it  comes  at  midnight, 
then  at  intervals  till  morning.  Another  tough  and  almost  sleepless 
night.  Our  equipments  are  all,  of  course,  on,  and  our  loaded  guns 
at  our  sides,  to  guard  against  a  night  surprise.  At  4  A.M.,  wet 
and  unrefreshed,  we  are  on  our  feet  again.  No  time  for  making 
coffee.  We  are  ordered  into  line  at  once,  and  march  forth  into 
fearful  scenes.  We  march  out  into  the  road,  a  listless,  half-ex 
hausted  body  of  men.  During  the  three  previous  nights  we  have 
had  little  sleep,  and  but  little  food  since  the  Saturday  before.  It 
is  now  Tuesday.  We  are  more  or  less  drenched  with  rain,  and 


120  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

our  blankets  and  clothing  weigh  double  with  the  moisture.  Pres 
ently  we  hear  the  sound  of  firing.  Each  minute  the  roar  of  can 
non  is  more  frequent,  and  becomes  mingled  at  last  with  the  sharp, 
rattling  volley  of  arms.  We  come  at  last  into  full  view  of  the 
scene.  We  halt  in  the  road,  waiting  for  orders  to  go  in.  Hear 
that  long  crash  of  musketry,  each  individual  discharge  so  blend 
ing  into  the  others  that  we  can  only  hear  one  long  sound  !  It  is 
a  rebel  volley,  terribly  effective,  as  we  afterwards  hear.  Then  we 
are  ordered  forward,  and  presently  are  on  the  field.  We  are  pass 
ing  ammunition  wagons  now,  and  now  a  tree  beneath  which  the 
surgeons  are  at  work. 

"  The  column  files  to  the  right,  and  we  stand  in  line  of  battle  in 
the  rear  of  the  action,  within  rifle  range  of  the  woods  where  the 
enemy  lie  concealed,  expecting  every  moment  the  order  to  ad 
vance.  The  firing,  however,  slackens  ;  and  presently  comes  word 
that  the  enemy  are  withdrawing.  Prisoners  come  in  by  squads. 
It  has  been  a  sharply  contested  conflict.  Toward  night  I  go  down 
the  cart-path  to  the  actual  field,  and  see  the  broken  muskets,  the 
scattered  knapsacks  and  clothing,  the  furrows  where  the  enemy 
lay,  the  bloody  pools  where  the  dying  fainted,  the  burial  parties, 
the  piles  of  corpses  lying  by  the  trenches  just  ready  to  receive 
them.  They  report  that  we  lost  in  the  neighborhood  of  four  hun 
dred,  and  only  one  brigade  was  engaged.  It  was  a  bloody  strife 
opposite.  Leaving  a  party  to  bury  the  dead,  we  march  off,  and 
encamp  in  a  broad  field,  sloping  down  to  the  Teche.  Permission 
was  given  to  get  from  the  neighboring  plantations  what  was 
needed  in  the  way  of  food ;  and,  after  an  exciting  day,  the  regi 
ment  was  soon  at  rest, —  the  rest  we  had  won  by  the  hardships  of 
the  three  or  four  previous  nights." 

Our  little  battle  is  known  among  the  men  as  that  of  Irish  Bend, 
by  others  as  Indian  Ridge.  It  does  not  make  much  of  a  figure 
in  history.  Newspaper  reporters  were  not  on  hand ;  but  it  was 
sharp,  obstinate,  and  bloody.  The  small  force  engaged  (the  third 
brigade)  was  fearfully  cut  up. 


XI. 

UP  THE  TECHE.— INDIAN  RIDGE  TO  OPELOUSAS. 

[APRIL  14  TO  APRIL  19,  1863.] 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

INDIAN  RIDGE,  Tuesday,  April  14. 

About  8  A.M.  the  booming  of  cannon  and  the  sharp  rattle  of 
musketry  told  us  there  was  hot  work  on  hand.  We  were  hurried  on 
till  we  came  in  sight  of  the  battle-field,  where  we  were  halted,  and 
were  held  as  a  reserve.  The  battle  raged  for  an  hour.  I  climbed 
upon  a  fence,  where  I  could  rest  and  see  what  was  going  on. 
While  we  were  waiting  to  be  ordered  in,  the  firing  ceased,  the 
rebels  yielded  their  position  and  fled,  and  left  us  masters  of  the 
field.  We  soon  had  orders  to  move  up,  and  take  a  position  just 
in  the  rear  of  the  ground  where  the  battle  was  fought.  Our  men 
were  at  once  employed  in  bringing  in  the  wounded ;  and  a  terrible 
sight  it  was.  The  loss  in  some  of  our  regiments  was  very  severe, 
the  Connecticut  24th  and  the  New  York  59th,  in  particular.  I  was 
so  weak  I  rolled  myself  up  in  a  blanket,  and  lay  down  upon  the 
ground  all  day,  and  did  nothing.  I  did  not  even  go  over  the 
battle-field.  We  remained  on  the  field  till  near  sundown,  when 
we  moved  to  a  better  camping  ground.  I  took  three  wide  rails  off 
a  fence,  put  one  end  of  them  across  another  rail  two  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  so  made  a  good  covering  for  the  night.  I  borrowed  a 
blanket,  and  climbed  under  the  rails,  and  slept  well,  forgetful  alike 
of  battles  and  jaundice.  The  next  morning  we  were  called  very 
early.  It  was  evident  we  were  to  have  a  hard  march.  The  rebels 
were  in  full  retreat ;  and  we  must  follow  them  up  closely,  the  closer 
the  better,  lest  they  should  burn  the  bridges,  and  do  everything 
they  should  not  do  for  our  sakes.  So  after  them  we  started.  The 
day  was  pleasant,  the  roads  good.  I  secured  a  contraband  to 
carry  my  haversack  ;  and  on  we  went  all  day  long,  stopping  only 
for  short  rests,  We  marched  twenty  miles,  which  was  a  good  deal 
for  the  men,  and  a  good  deal  for  me  ;  for  I  was  very  weak.  In  the 
course  of  the  evening  our  horses  came  up.  I  was  glad  to  see 
Dolly,  but  it  involved  additional  care.  I  could  feed  myself  on 
hard-tack  and  coffee  ;  but  how  to  get  anything  for  her  to  eat  was 
a  matter  of  more  difficulty.  The  next  day,  Thursday,  we  made 


122  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

about  fifteen  miles  only.  We  were  then  at  New  Iberia,  a  town  on 
the  Teche.  The  next  morning  it  appeared  that  Gen.  Banks  had 
appointed  Capt.  Long  provost-marshal,  with  Cos.  A,  E,  F,  and 
G  to  act  as  guard.  I  wanted  to  stay  with  them  for  a  few  days' 
rest ;  but  our  men  were  falling  out  fearfully,  getting  sick  and  foot 
sore.  I  did  not  like  to  ask  the  colonel  to  allow  me  to  stop,  so 
pushed  on  with  the  rest ;  and  it  was  the  hardest  day  of  the  whole 
march.  The  rebels  were  just  ahead,  in  full  retreat,  and  were  having 
frequent  skirmishes  with  our  advance  guard.  The  dead  horses  and 
wounded  men  by  the  side  of  the  road  told  the  story.  There  was  a 
bridge  at  Vermillion  Bayou,  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  ahead.  They 
would  burn  it  if  they  could,  and  we  must  save  it  if  possible.  So 
on  we  were  hurried  as  fast  as  we  could  go,  one  after  another  falling 
out.  About  4  P.M.  a  smoke  ahead  told  us  that  the  rebels  had  crossed 
the  river,  and  had  set  fire  to  the  bridge.  They  planted  a  battery 
on  the  other  side,  to  further  obstruct  our  passage.  Nims's  battery 
in  front  of  us,  and  which  we  were  to  support,  soon  opened  upon 
them  ;  and  the  firing  was  sharp  on  both  sides.  The  52d  were 
drawn  up  into  line  in  the  rear  of  the  battery.  And  how  many 
men  do  you  suppose  we  numbered  ?  Just  fifty-nine  privates  and 
line  officers !  As  I  sat  upon  my  horse,  waiting  to  see  what  was  to 
be  done  next,  a  twelve-pound  ball  struck,  a  rod  from  me,  making  the 
dirt  fly  in  every  direction,  and  the  men,  too,  for  that  matter,  knock 
ing  over  some  stacks  of  guns  in  its  progress.  As  it  went  ricochet- 
ting  by  us,  remembering  that  "  discretion  is  the  better  part  of 
valor,"  I  concluded  to  show  that  better  part  by  withdrawing  from 
that  position  to  the  rear,  where  I  spent  the  night.  In  the  morning 
we  removed  to  the  banks  of  the  bayou,  where  we  waited  to  have 
the  bridge  rebuilt.  It  took  all  day  to  have  the  work  completed, 
and  we  had  a  day  of  rest.  A  large  number  of  the  stragglers 
came  up,  and  by  night  our  ranks  were  quite  full  again.  When 
we  had  made  arrangements  to  spend  the  night  where  we  were, 
there  came  the  order  to  "  fall  in,"  and  fccross  the  bridge,  and  guard 
it  against  the  return  of  the  rebs  to  destroy  it.  Over  the  bridge 
we  stopped.  I  tied  Dolly  to  the  first  tree  that  offered,  lay  down 
under  it,  and  was  soon  asleep.  A  storm  was  brewing.  The 
thunder  and  lightning  were  incessant.  Soon  the  rain  began  to 
pour.  By  the  flashes  of  lightning,  we  could  see  a  shed  near  by, 
and  put  for  it, —  Park  and  I.  It  proved  to  be  a  pig-pen  well  popu 
lated.  We  jumped  in,  and  found  on  orjie  side  a  sort  of  scaf 
fold,  which  the  porkers  could  not  reach ;  but  the  fleas  proved  a 


UP    THE    TECHE  123 

worse  trouble  than  the  rain,  so  I  was  glad  enough  to  return  to  the 
tree  where  I  had  left  Dolly.  I  leave  Sergt.-Major  Whitney  to  tell 
the  tale. 

From  Church's  journal :  — 

"April  15. —  We  started  in  pursuit  of  Dick  Taylor's  retreating 
force,  and  we  made  twenty -five  miles  that  day.  The  officers' 
horses  that  had  been  left  behind  at  Brashear  City  came  up.  In 
their  absence,  horses  and  mules  had  been  secured  on  the  planta 
tions  as  we  passed.  When  their  horses  came  up,  the  confiscated 
ones  were  turned  loose,  only  to  be  confiscated  again  by  high- 
minded  privates,  who  preferred  to  ride.  Carts,  wagons,  old  family 
carriages  drawn  by  horses  and  mules,  a  yoke  of  oxen,  a  cow,  or 
anything  which  had  four  legs  and  could  be  harnessed,  were  in  de 
mand.  So  fast  has  been  our  pace  that,  when  we  stopped,  out  of 
the  six  companies  only  fifty-nine  were  in  line." 

From  J.  K.  H.:  — 

"April  15. —  In  the  morning  at  half- past  six  we  are  off.  We 
are  to  join  Emory  and  Weitzel  in  a  stern  chase,  which  is  a  pro 
verbially  long  chase.  In  three  days  we  hunted  that  defeated  army 
for  nearly  sixty  miles.  The  first  day  we  made  twenty-five  miles, 
—  a  tremendous  march  for  men  with  knapsacks.  Colored  people 
of  all  ages  and  hues  look  at  us  from  the  roadside  as  we  pass  : 
white  women  and  children  peep  out  from  the  houses.  Here  and 
there  are  dead  rebels  flung  to  the  side  of  the  road  in  the 
haste  of  the  headlong  pursuit.  The  second  and  third  day's 
marching  used  up  the  pursuers  and  the  pursued.  On  the  second 
day  we  camped  at  New  Iberia.  Four  companies  of  the  52d  are 
detailed  for  provost  duty.  On  the  third  day,  after  about  eigh 
teen  terrible  and  dusty  miles,  with  men  falling  out  exhausted 
in  great  numbers,  we  come  out  late  in  the  afternoon  upon  the 
Bayou  Vermillion.  We  halt  in  the  rear  of  Nims's  battery,  and 
have  just  fifty-nine  men  to  answer  to  their  names  out  of  the  five 
hundred  or  so  that  started  in  the  morning.  Bayou  Vermillion  is  a 
considerable  stream.  The  enemy  are  crossing  when  we  come  in 
sight.  They  set  the  bridge  on  fire,  and  we  have  an  opportunity  to 
rest  while  it  is  rebuilt. 

"Through  some  mistake  we  had  retained  our  knapsacks,  and 
so  were  in  heavy  marching  order.  The  road  was  bordered  by 
a  hedge  of  orange-tre&s,  whose  fruit  the  soldiers  could  gather  as 
they  passed.  Everywhere  were  signs  of  great  wealth.  The  day 


124  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

grew  burning  hot.  We  marched  rapidly  on,  stopping  occasionally 
to  catch  our  breath.  It  was  a  forced  march.  Gen.  Banks  knows 
that  every  commander  has  been  censured  for  not  following  up  suc 
cess,  and  now  the  success  was  to  be  followed  up.  Right,  it  should 
be  so.  Honor  to  our  leader's  energy !  But  you  people  who 
clamor  for  rapid  movements,  how  little  do  you  know  what  these 
things  cost  the  poor  infantry  soldiers  !  I  felt  well,  and  marched 
with  the  best ;  but,  when  it  grew  to  be  late  afternoon,  there  was 
something  cruel  about  the  steadfastness  with  which  the  blue  and 
white  brigade  flag  kept  the  road  in  advance.  It  turned  at  last  into 
a  field,  which  was  to  be  our  bivouac.  We  accomplished  that  day 
twenty-five  miles  by  universal  agreement,  marching  from  seven  in 
the  morning  till  sundown.  During  the  night  the  enemy  retreated 
again,  and  we  were  early  in  pursuit.  The  road  was  still  beautiful, 
but  the  heat  became  most  oppressive.  I  have  never  found  march 
ing  so  difficult.  Men  exhausted  by  the  rapid  movement  of  the 
regiment  were  turning  in  under  hedge  and  bush.  I  was  deter 
mined  to  stand  it  while  I  could  ;  but  hotter  grew  the  sun,  the  dust 
filled  the  stifling  air,  rests  seemed  infrequent.  I  was  at  the  last 
point  of  exhaustion.  I  turned  aside  under  a  clump  of  bushes,  and 
had  just  time  to  fling  open  my  belt  and  straps,  when  my  brain 
swam.  I  reeled,  and  had  just  consciousness  enough  to  break  my 
fall  so  as  to  have  my  knapsack  for  a  pillow  :  then  down  I  went, 
completely  used  up.  I  lay  in  a  stupor  thus,  half-fainting,  half-con 
scious,  while  within  a  few  feet  rolled  and  rumbled  onward  the  ad 
vancing  and  victorious  army.  'Yah  moole,'  I 'heard  a  darky  say 
to  his  mule,  'I  know  you's  tired  and  weak  ';  but  there  is  no  rest 
for  man  or  beast.  Others  came  and  sat  down  with  me,  and  so 
we  rested.  A  negro  came  by  with  chickens  and  ducks  slung  on 
a  pole.  I  got  a  duck  from  him,  and  from  another  a  handful  of 
onions  to  flavor  the  stew.  Thus  we  reached  New  Iberia.  WTe 
supposed  we  were  to  halt  for  a  day  or  two  in  this  village ;  but  the 
enemy  fled  fast,  so  the  next  morning  early  we  start  out  on  another 
tedious  march.  The  order  to  'fall  in '  came  so  early  and  suddenly 
that  we  had  no  time  to  make  coffee  or  take  any  breakfast. 
Capt.  Long  and  four  companies  of  the  52d  were  left  behind  as  a 
guard.  After  a  mile  or  two  we  came  to  a  turn  in  the  road  where 
the  advance  had  had  a  sharp  skirmish  with  the  retreating  rebels- 
Six  or  seven  dead  horses  along  the  road,  and  one  poor  fellow  in 
butternut  lay  stretched  on  the  sod,  the  morning  light  on  his  uncov 
ered  face.  Five  or  six  more  were  in  a  gulley  close  by.  There  had 


UP    THE   TECHE  125 

been  no  time  to  bury  them.  We,  the  living,  had  not  even  time  to 
eat,  and  were  sweeping  onward  in  our  pursuit. 

"It  was  dreadfully  tedious  and  hot.  We  marched  by  the  hour 
together  over  dusty  plains,  under  the  burning  sun.  It  was  noon. 
We  are  still  without  breakfast.  It  is  now  two  o'clock,  and  we 
have  hobbled  on  some  fourteen  miles.  I  am  sadly  foot-sore.  '  B.,' 
I  exclaimed  at  last,  '  I  will  fall  out  if  you  will.'  He  is  sick  and 
weary,  more  nearly  spent  than  I  am.  We  have  half  the  regiment 
for  company,  strewn  along  the  whole  line  of  our  march.  We  sleep 
for  an  hour  by  the  side  of  the  road,  when  two  men  of  a  Maine 
regiment  come  up  with  a  hand-cart  they  have  confiscated.  We 
get  permission  to  throw  in  our  burdens,  if  only  we  will  help  draw 
the  cart.  In  this  way  we  pull  and  push  forward  a  mile  or  two, 
our  blistered  feet  making  us  limp  at  every  step.  Night  comes, 
and  every  trace  of  the  army  disappears.  I  am  for  pushing  on 
through  the  twilight,  but  B.  is  too  ill.  The  Maine  men  are  worn 
out,  and  the  vote  is  to  stay  till  morning.  During  the  evening 
other  stragglers  arrive, —  Bill  Wilson's  men,  Irishmen,  negroes, — 
so  that  we  have  a  large  assembly.  One  fellow  has  stolen  a  fiddle, 
on  whose  broken  strings  he  manages  to  scrape  out  some  tunes. 
We  listen  for  a  while,  but  sleep  comes  very  soon.  The  next  morn 
ing  we  start  off,  hoping  to  overtake  the  regiment.  We  learn  that 
they  are  in  a  grove  on  the  Bayou  Vermillion.  So  close  were  they 
to  the  flying  remnant  of  the  rebel  column  that  the  bridge  across 
the  bayou  was  still  in  flames,  and  had  become  impassable.  As 
they  stack  arms  in  the  rear  of  Nims's  battery,  only  four  men  of 
Co.  D  were  left,  the  rest  having  fallen  out.  Of  the  '  Color  Guard,' 
none  were  left.  Of  the  five  hundred  strong  that  left  that  morn 
ing,  only  fifty-nine  stood  in  their  places.  It  was  hard. 

"Wednesday  we  accomplished  twenty -five  miles;  Thursday, 
twelve  or  thirteen ;  Friday,  without  any  time  to  cook  anything, 
eighteen  or  nineteen.  There  was  more  to  be  done,  however. 
'Which  is  better,'  said  the  colonel,  'to  undergo  all  this  fatigue 
and  labor  or  to  have  bloody  battles  and  lose  half  the  regiment  ? ' 
Banks  had  the  alternative  to  follow  by  forced  marches  on  the  very 
heels  of  the  rebels  or  to  fight  battles.  He  chose  the  former 
course.  On  Saturday  night  the  bridge  was  rebuilt,  and  the  52d 
was  ordered  across  to  guard  it.  We  lay  down  after  dark  on  the 
opposite  bank,  and  presently  were  drenched  in  torrents  of  rain  in 
a  furious  tempest.  We  lay  in  the  pools,  under  the  storm,  until 
morning :  then,  with  all  our  baggage  weighing  double,  we  started 


126  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

off  through  deep  mud  for  Opelousas,  accomplishing  the  march  of 
twenty-five  miles  during  Sunday  and  Monday.  I  have  just  had  a 
glance  at  the  map.  How  little  one  can  tell !  Louisiana  is  done 
up  neatly  in  pink.  There  is  a  cool-looking  sheet  of  water,  that 
dismal  Grand  Lake  where  we  came  pretty  near  'going  up,'  all  of 
us,  on  the  *  St.  Mary.'  From  Franklin  to  New  Iberia  is  a  little 
stretch  up  through  the  pink,  with  not  a  mention  of  those  dusty 
leagues  along  which  we  almost  left  our  lives  as  we  limped  over 
them.  The  map  is  unsatisfactory ;  but  catch  us  forgetting  what 
ache  and  sweat  and  hunger  that  distance  cost  us ! " 

The  chaplain  to  his  wife  :  — 

You  suggest  in  one  of  your  letters  that  an  egg  beaten  up  with 
whiskey  would  be  very  strengthening  on  a  long  march.  Yes,  un 
doubtedly  ;  but  the  trouble  is,  first,  where  is  the  whiskey  to  come 
from,  and,  secondly,  where  the  egg  ?  There  is  the  rub.  Hard-tack 
and  coffee  Uncle  Sam  furnishes  for  such  occasions. 

April  19. —  Orders  came  to  start  early.  Capt.  Perkins  asked 
me  to  eat  some  chicken  broth  with  him.  By  the  time  it  was 
cooked  another  shower  deluged  us.  As  I  ate  the  broth,  about  as 
much  water  ran  into  the  cup  from  my  cap  and  from  the  clouds  as 
I  could  eat  with  my  spoon.  So  the  cup  of  soup  held  out  a  great 
while.  It  was  Sunday  morning.  During  the  pouring  rain  the 
army  was  defiling  by,  the  artillery  dragging  through  the  mud,  and 
the  infantry  soaked  with  rain.  Before  the  rain  was  over  we 
wheeled  into  the  line,  and  tramped  on  through  mud  and  water  all 
day.  It  was  a  hard  Sunday.  Nothing  to  remind  one  that  it  was 
Sunday.  Our  road  lay  along  broad  plains,  stretching  on  for  miles, 
on  which  were  immense  herds  of  cattle.  Horses,  mules,  sheep, 
and  swine  were  very  abundant ;  and  the  idea  of  starving  out  the 
rebels,  which  had  been  discussed  so  freely,  was  seen  to  be  quite 
ridiculous.  Whenever  we  stopped  for  the  night,  men  were  at  once 
sent  out,  and  brought  in  beef,  pork,  and  poultry  for  the  regiment. 
The  rebels,  as  they  retreated,  attempted  to  burn,  and  in  many 
places  succeeded  in  burning,  the  cotton ;  but  we  were  so  near  their 
heels  that  they  could  not  do  much  of  that  work.  Every  bridge 
they  could  burn  they  did,  and  made  us  stop  to  repair  it  or  wade 
through  the  stream. 

April  20. —  Monday  night  brought  us  to  the  little  tumble-down 
town  of  Opelousas,  where  we  expected  the  rebels*  would  make  a 
stand.  But  they  were  too  much  used  up  for  that,  and  the  town 
made  an  unconditional  surrender. 


UP    THE   TECHE  127 

We  reached  here  as  tired  and  jaded  a  set  of  men  as  you  can 
think  of.  Here  we  rested  till  Sunday  morning  in  a  tolerable  camp 
ing  ground,  only  there 'was  no  water  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
and  then  it  was  so  muddy  and  slimy  it  seemed  almost  impossible 
to  drink  or  wash  in  it.  This  lack  of  decent  water  is  a  great  draw 
back  to  this  country.  On  Sunday  we  marched  to  Barre's  Landing. 

From  Sergt.  Whitney  :  — 

"  Saturday,  April  18,  we  have  for  a  rest.  By  night  the  bridge 
being  completed,  we  move  across  the  bayou,  and  camp  beside  the 
road,  to  protect  the  new  bridge  from  rebel  assault.  The  chaplain 
and  sergeant-major  have  made  their  beds  together  for  most  of 
these  campaigning  nights,  and  they  select  a  place  on  which  now  to 
get  their  sleep.  The  clouds  threatened  rain,  and  the  proposed 
place  is  dishing ;  but  the  spot  is  sheltered  by  the  dense  foliage  of 
a  tree,  and  there  are  bulging  roots  for  pillows.  They  have  been 
too  long  in  the  field  to  be  particular,  so  they  roll  themselves  up  in 
the  blankets,  and  are  soon  fast  asleep,  side  by  side.  Then  come 
the  first  drops  of  rain,  increasing  in  quantity  slowly.  The  chaplain 
and  sergeant-major  are  awake  enough  to  keep  from  being  stepped 
on  ;  and  at  last  the  rain  pours,  and,  working  through  the  foliage, 
falls  down  upon  them.  They  draw  up  their  rubber  blankets,  and 
the  rain  falls  upon  their  feet.  They  push  down  their  blankets,  and 
it  comes  through  their  hair.  The  chaplain  gets  up,  and  looks  for 
a  better  place.  He  comes  back.  '  Sergeant-major,  I  have  found  a 
good  dry  place  :  you  would  better  come  with  me.'  *  Where  is  it  ? ' 
sleepily.  '  In  a  pig-pen, —  a  nice,  dry  shelf  in  a  pig-pen,  under  the 
roof.  I  am  going  there,  and  you  would  better  come.'  The  sergeant- 
major  aches  in  every  bone,  besides  being  very  doubtful  whether,  in 
this  excellent  and  attractive  place,  there  is  room  enough  for  two. 
*  I  guess  I  will  stay  here ' ;  and,  after  covering  himself  to  keep  off 
the  rain,  he  goes  off  to  sleep.  In  half  an  hour  he  is  disturbed  by 
some  one  who  proposes  to  lie  down  by  his  side.  This  is  not  sur 
prising,  for  war  makes  strange  bed-fellows.  But  he  sleepily  and 
mildly  asks,  '  Who  is  it  ? '  '  It  is  I,'  the  chaplain  replies  :  '  I  have 
come  back.'  '  What  is  the  matter  ?  Why  did  you  not  stay  ? '  A 
fresh  flash  of  lightning  reveals  the  chaplain  giving  an  uneasy 
scratch  to  his  trousers  :  it  is  not  necessary  for  him  to  add  the 
single  word  '  fleas.'  In  the  morning  the  two  comrades  find  them 
selves  on  an  island  in  the  midst  of  a  considerable  pond.  Luckily, 
by  the  help  of  a  darky,  they  are  able  to  dry  their  blankets  before 
it  pours  again." 


128  HISTORY    OF    THE    $2V    REGIMENT 

From  Church's  journal :  — 

"April  19. —  With  clothes,  blankets,  etc.,  wet,  weighing  twice 
their  usual  weight,  we  marched  on  five  or  six  miles  to  Lafayette. 
From  Vermillion  Bayou  a  two  days'  march  brought  us  to  Ope- 
lousas,  fording  a  bayou  where  the  water  was  up  to  our  waists. 
Dick  Taylor's  army  was  thoroughly  disposed  of.  We  had  followed 
them  up  so  closely  that  they  had  not  time  to  concentrate.  Here 
we  rested  five  days.  Some  confiscated  tobacco  was  issued,  and 
we  forgot  our  troubles,  and  our  blisters  healed.  In  six  days  we 
had  marched  one  hundred  and  forty  miles.  Rations  have  been 
scarce ;  and  we  were  a  hard-looking  crowd,  so  sunburnt  as  to  look 
like  mulattoes,  out  at  the  elbows,  out  at  the  knees,  out  of  money, 
out  of  patience, —  nothing  plenty  but  hard  marching,  lice,  and 
fleas. 

"  One  day  an  effort  was  made  to  skin  the  hind  legs  of  an  alliga 
tor,  which  had  been  shot  an  hour  or  two  before.  Eight  or  ten  of 
us  were  standing  around  to  witness  the  operation.  When  the 
knife  penetrated  the  thick  hide,  Mr.  Alligator  swung  around  his 
long  tail,  and  we  very  unanimously  lay  in  the  dust.  'Golly, 
massa  soger  ! '  said  an  old  darky  :  '  dat  critter  won't  die  till  de  sun 
go  down.'  And  he  did  not." 


XII. 

OPELOUSAS  TO  BARRE'S  LANDING. 

[APRIL  20  TO  MAY  10,  1863.] 

From  Col.  Greenleaf  :  — 

"  When  the  brigade  reached  Vermillion  Bayou  at  sundown,  the 
six  remaining  companies  of  the  52d  Massachusetts  could  muster 
but  fifty-nine  men  with  the  colors,  the  24th  Connecticut  but  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  etc.,  by  far  the  greater  number  of  each  com 
mand  having  fallen  out  by  the  way,  from  sheer  physical  exhaus 
tion. 

"  Veterans  all  understand  the  necessity  for  preserving  the  proper 
intervals  between  regiments  and  brigades  on  such  a  march,  and 
that  no  regimental  or  brigade  commander  has  any  alternative  but 
to  bear  aloft  and  carry  forward  his  colors,  however  hot  the  ad 
vance  may  make  the  pace.  And  thus  the  physical  energies  of  man 
and  beast  were  taxed  to  the  utmost  in  reaching  Opelousas,  and 
apparently  to  little  purpose,  as  we  took  few  prisoners  and  captured 
little  property  ;  but  we  did  make  things  lively  for  Gen.  Taylor. 
We  at  least  demoralized  his  army  and  scattered  his  forces." 

Gen.  Banks  gives  a  more  cheerful  account  of  the  enterprise. 

GEN.    BANKS'S    REPORT   TO    GEN.    GRANT. 

OPELOUSAS,  April  23,  1863. 

We  have  pushed  with  vigor  the  expedition  upon  which  we  were 
engaged.  Our  success  has  been  complete.  We  have  utterly  de 
stroyed  the  army  and  navy  of  this  part  of  the  Confederacy,  and 
made  it  impossible  for  the  enemy  to  reorganize  his  forces  for  some 
months  to  come.  The  infantry  is  completely  dispersed.  We  have 
captured  two  thousand  prisoners,  one  thousand  stand  of  arms, 
ammunition,  ordnance  stores,  etc.,  twenty  heavy  guns,  demol 
ished  his  founderies  at  Franklin  and  New  Iberia,  and  the  salt 
works  below  Iberia.  We  have  captured  two  steamers  and  several 
boats,  and  compelled  the  destruction  of  ten  or  twelve  transport 
steamers.  The  capture  of  the  fortifications  at  Butte  a  la  Rose 
opens  to  us  completely  the'Atchafalaya  to  Red  River. 


130  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

At  the  same  time  Gen.  Banks  issued  a  proclamation  of  thanks 
to  the  army  for  the  vigor  with  which  they  had  conducted  the  cam 
paign  and  the  success  which  had  attended  their  efforts. 

The  colonel's  account:  — 

"  After  resting  a  few  days  at  Opelousas,  Grover's  division  was 
ordered  to  Barre's  Landing,  on  the  Courtableau,  a  tributary  of  the 
Atchafalaya,  nine  miles  distant,  and  near  the  head  of  steam  navi 
gation  for  Mississippi  River  boats,  where  it  set  to  work  at  once  to 
'gobble'  up  the  products  of  the  country, —  cotton,  sugar,  molasses, 
horses,  cattle,  mules,  etc., —  to  ship  to  New  Orleans  everything 
(nearly  everything)  but  the  live  stock.  But  soon  the  army  was 
ready  to  move  on  to  Alexandria  on  the  Red  River ;  and  yet  it  was 
regarded  important  that  a  considerable  force  should  be  left  at 
Barre's  Landing  to  continue  the  service  of  seizing  the  products  of 
the  country,  shipping  the  same  to  New  Orleans,  receiving  and  for 
warding  other  troops  and  supplies  for  the  main  army  above,  and 
last,  though  not  least,  receiving  and  guarding  Gen.  Butler's  his 
toric  *  contraband  of  war.' 

"Accordingly,  at  this  time  the  colonel  of  the  520!  Regiment  re 
ceived  an  order  from  the  general  commanding,  appointing  him 
commandant  of  the  post,  and  charging  him  with  these  somewhat 
important  duties. 

"  The  army  moved  forward,  but  the  general  was  kind  enough 
and  considerate  enough  to  allow  me  to  retain  the  six  companies  of 
my  regiment  as  a  part  of  the  post  command. 

"  Soon  after  I  had  been  assigned  to  this  command,  and  just  as 
Gen.  Grover  was  leaving  the  landing  with  his  division,  I  was 
waited  upon  by  his  quartermaster,  Capt.  F.  W.  Perkins, —  a  gentle 
man  and  scholar  as  well  as  soldier, —  and  was  informed  by  him 
that,  while  engaged  in  the  general  confiscation  business  with  which 
he  had  heretofore  been  specially  charged,  he  had  made  the  acquaint 
ance  of  a  genuine  Union  man, —  a  wealthy  planter  residing  about 
two  miles  from  the  post, —  who  had  voluntarily  delivered  to  him 
his  cotton,  sugar,  and  molasses,  and  hauled  it  to  the  steamboat 
landing  himself,  taking  the  quartermaster's  receipt  therefor ;  and 
that,  in  addition  to  this,  the  planter  had  actually  saved  him  and 
his  foraging  squad  from  capture  while  on  confiscating  duty,  by 
giving  him  timely  warning  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  who  was 
lying  in  ambush  for  him  ;  that,  on  being  thus  warned,  he  procured 
additional  force,  and  dispersed  the  enemy ;  that,  in  consideration 
of  this  double  service  rendered,  as  well  as  in  consideration  of  the 


OPELOUSAS    TO    BARRE  S    LANDING  131 

fact  that  he  had  already  parted  with  much  property,  he  promised 
the  planter  that  he  would  not  molest  him  further;  and  that,  on 
learning  that  he  (Capt.  Perkins)  was  to  move  on  with  Gen.  Grover, 
while  I  was  to  remain,  he  had  given  the  planter  a  letter  to  me, 
setting  forth  these  facts,  and  commending  him  to  my  favor  and 
consideration,  not  then  expecting  that  he  would  be  able  to  see  me 
in  person  ;  but  that,  having  the  opportunity,  he  improved  it  to  see 
me. 

"  I  answered  the  quartermaster  that  I  was  willing  to  accept  his 
statement  of  the  case,  and  disposed  to  act  upon  his  suggestion ; 
that  I  was  disposed  to  discriminate  always,  so  far  as  possible  in 
such  matters,  between  the  loyal  and  disloyal  citizen,  and  that  I 
saw  no  reason  why  I  should  make  an  exception  to  the  rule  with 
his  friend,  the  planter.  The  quartermaster  —  noble  fellow!  met  a 
tragic  death  —  thanked  me,  and  left;  and  a  day  or  two  later  the 
Union  man  and  planter  came  with  his  letter. 

"I  found  the  letter  as  represented,  and  the  planter  confirmed 
the  statements  made  to  me  by  the  quartermaster.  I  promised  to 
protect  him  (the  planter)  from  further  molestation  ;  and,  with  a 
cordial  invitation  for  me  to  visit  him  on  his  plantation,  he  left  me. 
A  few  days  later  a  delegation  of  negroes  —  intelligent,  healthy, 
hearty-looking  fellows  —  waited  upon  me,  as  they  said,  'to  advise 
with  me  about  the  situation.'  They  had  noticed  men,  women,  and 
children  of  their  people  flocking  to  the  post  by  the  thousand,  and 
that  they  were  protected  and  fed  when  they  reached  us.  They 
wanted  my  advice  with  regard  to  their  own  coming,  also,  with  their 
families.  I  asked  them  whence  they  came  and  to  whom  they  be 
longed.  They  answered  that  they  came  from  a  plantation  about 
two  miles  away,  and  that  they  belonged  to  '  Massa  Gantt,' — our 
Union  friend  and  planter. 

"I  then  asked  them  if  'Massa  Gantt'  was  kind  to  them.  They 
said  he  was.  If  he  fed  and  clothed  them  well.  They  said  he  did; 
that  they  had  no  fault  whatever  to  find  with  his  treatment  of  them, 
but  they  *  wanted  to  be  free.'  I  answered  them  that  they  could 
come  within  our  lines,  with  their  families,  if  they  wished,  and  that, 
if  they  came,  they  should  be  protected  the  same  as  others ;  but 
that,  from  what  I  had  learned  of  'Massa  Gantt'  before  and  from 
what  they  had  just  told  me,  my  advice  to  them  would  be  to  re 
main,  for  the  present,  just  where  they  were.  I  told  them  I  had 
little  doubt  that  they  would  all  be  free  when  the  war  should  be 
over,  wherever  they  might  be,  but  that,  if  they  undertook  to  follow 


132  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

the  fortunes  of  the  army  with  their  families,  I  feared  but  few  of 
them  would  live  to  return.  And  I  predicated  the  latter  statement 
on  what  I  had  known  of  the  great  mortality  which  had  prevailed 
among  negroes  when  congregated  in  camp  in  large  numbers.  The 
death-rate  had  been  fearful :  they  had  died  off  like  diseased 
sheep. 

"These  '  Gantt '  negroes  thanked  me  for  my  advice,  said  they 
should  act  upon  it,  and  bowed  themselves  out  of  headquarters.  A 
week  or  two  later  I  accepted  Mr.  Gantt's  invitation,  and  visited 
him  at  his  house.  I  then  and  there  saw  some  of  the  negroes 
again, —  saw  how  they  fared,  how  they  lived,  etc., —  and  was  con 
firmed  in  the  opinion  that  I  had  given  them  wise  counsel.  Time 
passed  on.  Gen.  Banks  was  advised  that  Gen.  Gardner  had,  as 
anticipated,  reduced  his  force  at  Port  Hudson.  Accordingly,  he 
hastened  from  Alexandria  with  the  main  army,  recrossed  the 
Mississippi,  and  formally  invested  the  offending  town." 

To  my  wife  :  — 

OTELOUSAS,  April  25,  1863. 

We  have  had  a  hard,  long  march  to  this  place.  The  rebels  were 
on-  the  run  ;  and,  the  faster  we  marched,  the  less  chance  they  had 
to  turn  back  and  fight  us.  So  on,  on  we  went.  The  days  were  hot, 
the  roads  good,  the  fields  on  every  hand  were  covered  with  herds 
which  told  us  that  the  rebels  were  not  starving.  We  halted  once 
where  several  dead  horses  told  of  a  sharp  skirmish.  A  house  near 
by  was  completely  sacked  by  our  boys.  I  am  sorry  to  say  the 
52d  helped.  They  destroyed  everything  they  could  lay  hands  on. 
That  night  I  slept  with  the  men  of  Co.  H,  and  our  horses  came 
up  at  night,  and  of  course  I  felt  stronger.  It  was  with  some  diffi 
culty,  however,  I  rode.  My  jaundice  made  me  so  sleepy  that  I 
could  hardly  keep  my  seat. 

April  20. —  Next  day  was  Sunday.  We  were  roused  up  early, 
and  had  breakfast,  but  before  we  were  through  with  it  there  came 
another  shower.  I  had  a  present  of  some  chicken  broth,  which  was 
a  great  refreshment.  We  spent  the  day  in  a  dreary,  hot,  wearying 
march,  twenty  miles,  to  Opelousas.  We  must  make  it  in  two  days, 
and  make  all  manner  of  detours  in  order  to  cross  the  streams  where 
the  rebels  had  burned  the  bridges.  We  had  to  wade  the  horses 
and  guns  through  the  bayous.  The  last  day  we  waded  the  whole 
army  through  a  large  pond  with  water  two  feet  deep.  We 
reached  Opelousas  at  sundown  on  Monday,  April  20,  tired  and 


OPELOUSAS    TO    BARRE  S    LANDING  133 

jaded  as  we  possibly  could  be.  We  could  hardly  have  stood  it 
another  day.  We  had  accomplished  our  part  of  scattering  the 
rebel  forces.  It  was  good  policy,  doubtless,  to  push  us  on  in  that 
way,  but  a  hard  one  for  our  regiment.  The  next  day  Banks  issued 
an  order  which  was  read  at  dress  parade,  in  which  he  congratu 
lated  us  upon  the  success  of  the  movement  and  the  great  things 
we  had  achieved.  The  rest  here  has  been  very  grateful.  The 
drawback  is  the  miserable  water,  not  fit  to  use.  We  have  to 
drink  water  that  you  would  not  suppose  a  pig  would  drink, 
—  muddy,  slimy,  nasty,  hot.  Yesterday  I  bathed  in  a  mud-puddle 
that  removed  one  layer  of  dirt  and  replaced  it  by  another.  We 
are  living  well  just  now,  plenty  of  poultry  and  fresh  beef.  Whitney 
and  I  eat  out  of  the  same  tin  plate.  We  have  allied  our  forces. 
We  have  two  cups,  one  plate,  two  spoons,  between  us.  Fortu 
nately,  he  does  not  swear  nor  use  tobacco. 

We  have  left  an  awful  scene  of  desolation  behind  us.  In  spite 
of  the  orders  not  to  pillage,  burned  and  sacked  houses  mark  our 
course.  We  are  getting  impatient  to  have  the  time  come  for  our 
return  home,  but  I  do  not  regret  coming;  but  I  do  want  to  see 
something  accomplished. 

The  only  looting  I  have  observed  in  which  the  52d  Regiment 
have  taken  a  part  has  been  on  this  march.  Looting  is  a  very  dif 
ferent  thing  from  foraging.  The  latter  is  securing,  without  pay  to 
the  owner,  the  necessary  food  for  the  support  of  an  army  while  in 
a  hostile  country,  and  can  be  defended  by  the  necessities  of  war. 
Looting  is  stealing  and  destroying  all  property  the  men  can  lay 
their  hands  on,  without  any  idea  of  benefit  to  themselves. 

We  have  done  a  good  deal  of  foraging,  of  course,  but  never  till 
this  march  any  looting  that  I  have  observed.  Our  men  had  be 
come  careless  of  the  rights  of  property,  and  it  must  be  confessed 
there  were  provocations  for  looting.  For  instance,  one  day  on 
this  march  we  were  passing  a  large,  fine-looking  plantation  house. 
A  guard  of  Union  soldiers  was  placed  there,  as  was  usually  done, 
to  protect  the  place  from  molestation  from  the  army  passing  by. 
But  the  owner  came  out  in  a  great  rage,  cursed  the  guard  and  the 
officer  who  placed  it  as  well  as  the  army  and  the  Union  govern 
ment,  whereupon  the  officer  removed  the  guard,  and  left  the  place 
to  its  fate.  The  soldiers  at  once  rushed  into  the  house,  and  ran 
sacked  it  from  basement  to  attic,  broke  up  the  furniture,  including 
a  nice  piano,  carried  off  such  articles  of  ornament  as  they  fancied, 
and  left  the  place  a  desolate  wreck.  Of  course,  the  boys  were  to 


134  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

blame;  but  the  owner,  by  his  intemperate  rage,  brought  the  evil 
upon  himself. 

BARRE'S  LANDING,  April  27,  1863. 

Everything  promised  a  quiet  Sunday,  and  that  implied  a  relig 
ious  service,  which  we  have  not  heard  for  about  two  months, 
Ball  came  back  this  morning  with  about  fifty  others,  who  had  been 
left  sick  at  Bayou  Boeuf.  He  has  been  a  long  time  on  the  way. 

Saturday  P.M.  came  an  order  to  prepare  to  move  next  morning 
at  six  o'clock  from  Opelousas.  Just  after  we  started  Booth,  ol 
Co.  B,  who  had  been  ill  for  several  days,  fainted,  and  fell  by  the 
wayside.  His  companions  saw  that  death  was  nigh.  They  waited 
a  little  while  till  they  were  sure  that  life  was  extinct,  then  dug  a 
grave,  wrapped  the  body  of  their  comrade  in  his  blanket,  covered 
it  over,  and  hurried  on  to  join  their  places  in  the  ranks.  The 
chaplain  was  in  the  advance,  and  too  far  away  to  reach,  so  the 
poor  fellow  found  a  lonely  grave  by  the  wayside,  with  no  religious 
service  and  nothing  to  mark  the  spot.  We  moved  directly  east 
from  Opelousas,  and  were  brought  up  by  the  breaking  of  a  bridge 
over  the  road  as  the  cavalry  was  passing.  About  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  we  reached  this  place  at  the  junction  of  the 
Teche  and  Bayou  Courtableau,  called  Barre's  Landing,  ten  miles 
east  from  Opelousas  and  thirty  or  forty  from  Port  Hudson.  It  is 
a  good  camping  ground,  with  good  water ;  and  I  am  off  with 
others  for  a  bath.  We  found  first-rate  bathing,  water  quite  decent, 
not  an  alligator  nor  a  moccasin  in  sight  all  the  while.  When  we 
reached  here,  there  was  a  rumor  that  blackberries  could  be  found 
in  a  field.  So,  with  my  tin  cup,  I  rushed  in  with  the  others,  and 
filled  it  half-full  with  green  ones,  then  filled  the  cup  with  sugar 
and  water,  kindled  a  fire  on  the  ground  with  twigs,  sat  down  by  it, 
and  stewed  them.  You  can  have  no  idea  how  good  they  were.  I 
only  regret  that  the  stock  of  blackberries  was  so  soon  exhausted. 
I  took  supper  with  the  colonel,  who  is  very  kind,  and  is  as  popu 
lar  as  ever  with  the  men.  His  popularity  is  well  deserved.  After 
supper  I  went  to  see  a  Texan  on  a  trained  horse  lasso  some  cattle. 
He  did  it  very  skilfully.  This  morning  I  found  near  the  camp  an 
old  carryall,  and  with  some  assistance  drew  it  into  camp,  and 
made  it  my  headquarters.  It  protects  me  from  the  sun,  for  we 
have  as  yet  no  tents.  I  hope  I  can  keep  it.  We  are  now  in  the 
heart  of  a  great  cotton  and  sugar  growing  region.  We  are  gather 
ing  them  in  in  great  quantities,  to  be  loaded  on  steamers  for  the 
market.  We  employ  several  mule  teams  a  day.  Gen.  Banks,  I 


OPELOUSAS    TO    BARRE's    LANDING  135 

am  told,  estimated  the  cotton  and  sugar  to  be  obtained  in  this 
region  at  $10,000,000.  It  will  take  a  great  while  to  gather  it  all 
in.  I  prefer  to  stay  here  in  this  lonely,  out-of-the-way  place  than 
to  march  as  we  have  been. 

Sunday  seems  to  be  the  day  chosen  for  extra  work.  We  are 
here,  guarding  this  landing-place,  where  we  are  hauling  in  an  im 
mense  quantity  of  cotton,  to  be  sent  to  New  Orleans.  We  have 
had  no  religious  service  for  six  weeks.  I  am  getting  much  better. 
The  regiment  is  a  good  deal  scattered.  It  is  a  miserable  life  that 
we  are  leading,  but  I  am  now  quite  at  my  ease. 

May  i,  1863. —  I  have  just  heard  of  Perrigo's  death.  He  died 
at  Bayou  Bceuf,  a  hundred  miles  at  least  from  here.  He  was  a 
good  fellow.  I  am  sorry  to  hear  of  his  death. 

You  ask  about  my  clothing.  Well,  it  is  a  little  dilapidated.  My 
stockings  are  out  at  the  toes,  and  so  are  not  convenient  for  pull 
ing  on  my  boots ;  for  that  process  is  likely  to  leave  the  stockings 
at  the  top  of  my  boots.  I  have  not  any  undershirt  except  the  one 
I  had  on  when  the  extra  baggage  was  sent  away.  Constant  wear 
and  occasional  washing  in  these  dirty  puddles  have  rendered  it 
rather  thin  in  texture.  To-day  the  whole  back  came  off.  What  is 
left  of  it —  that  is,  the  front  and  arms  —  Ball  washed  ;  and  I  pro 
pose  to  adorn  myself  in  it  if  it  grows  cool  to-night.  The  military 
cap,  which  has  often  done  duty  as  a  night-cap,  is  in  a  shocking 
bad  condition  ;  but  a  man  here  is  braiding  me  a  palm-leaf,  which  is 
easily  obtained.  The  swamps  are  full  of  it.  He  will  have  to  split 
it  with  his  jack-knife,  and  it  will  be  rather  green  at  first;  but  it 
will  gradually  fade  to  a  respectable  white.  My  solitary  pair  of 
trousers  is  decidedly  the  worse  for  wear.  I  have  found  that  my 
relations  with  lizards,  flea's,  and  possibly  snakes,  would  be  less 
intimate  if  I  wore  my  trousers  at  night,  so  they  have  clothed  .my 
lower  extremities  ever  since  I  left  Greenfield.  They  have  not 
quite  passed  the  power  of  my  needle ;  but,  when  they  do  give 
way,  it  will  be  like  the  "  Deacon's  One-hoss  Shay."  The  color, 
too,  has  become  a  little  uncertain, —  hardly  pass  now  for  army 
blue.  Meals  taken  in  the  open  air,  without  a  table,  run  great  risks 
of  scattering  grease  and  molasses,  which  abound  in  this  country, 
into  your  lap.  The  march  in  the  rear  of  an  army,  where  the  dust 
is  so  dense  you  can  see  but  a  little  ways  before  you,  enables  the 
dust  and  the  grease  to  form  intimate  relationships.  There  are  no 
chairs,  of  course ;  and  the  trousers  frequently  bear  from  place  to 


136  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

place  marks  of  the  various  geological  strata  through  which  we 
have  passed.  The  beauty  of  my  overcoat  is  sacrificed  to  its  utility, 
for  I  spread  it  under  me  at  night;  and  the  time  I  spent  in  the  pig 
pen  imparted  to  it  some  odors  which  linger  about  it,  as  do  those 
of  the  flowers  about  the  shattered  vase.  On  the  whole,  I  am  well 
off  for  clothes.  About  the  only  thing  in  which  the  regiment  at 
present  is  uniform  is  in  having  two  large  holes  or  patches  in  the 
seat  of  their  trousers.  I  wish  we  could  make  our  appearance  in 
Greenfield  streets  in  our  present  rig.  I  am  sure  you  would  all  be 
entertained. 

It  is  May  Day  :  the  sun  is  hot.  We  have  talked  of  crowning  a 
queen  of  May,  but  the  only  queen  we  could  find  was  Dr.  Sawyer's 
black  cook, —  a  very  good  woman,  doubtless;  but  we  could  not 
get  up  much  enthusiasm  for  her. 

From  the  Gazette  and  Courier :  — 

Barrels  Landing,  May  4. —  We  have  had  eight  weeks  now  of 
service  in  the  field  ;  and  active  service  it  has  been.  \Ve  have  had 
no  fighting,  but  we  have  had  a  great  deal  of  hard  marching. 
Every  march  we  have  made  has  been  harder  than  any  previous  one. 
Camp  Miller  was  the  life  of  princes;  Camp  Banks,  a  good  deal 
harder ;  our  first  camp  at  Baton  Rouge,  harder  still ;  the  second, 
harder  than  the  first;  and  since  then  we  have  been  in  the  field, 
learning  by  experience  the  hard  lessons  of  war.  This  is  a  big 
country,  as  level  as  it  can  be.  You  don't  know  how  we  sigh  for  a 
good-sized  New  England  hill.  The  boys  and  girls  at  home  could 
know  nothing  of  coasting  here,  even  if  they  had  the  snow.  On 
our  marches  we  have  generally  had  good  roads.  In  the  long 
march  from  Berwick  Bay  to  Opelousas  we  marched  over  plains 
unfenced  and  which  were  covered  with  herds  of  cattle,  which  find 
grand  pasture  there.  It  does  not  look  as  if  the  rebels  were  in 
danger  of  starving.  They  have  plenty  of  fresh  meat  and  corn- 
meal.  Our  men  have  been  busy  here  at  Barre's  Landing  bringing 
in  cotton.  More  than  four  thousand  bales  have  been  brought  in, 
and  sent  by  boat  to  New  Orleans.  Our  regiment  has  dwindled 
away  almost  to  a  point.  We  are  like  a  big  snake,  with  the  head 
.here,  the  folds  at  New  Iberia,  Brashear  City,  Bayou  Bceuf,  and 
New  Orleans,  and  the  tail  at  Baton  Rouge.  Four  of  our  com 
panies  are  at  New  Iberia,  under  Capt.  Long,  one  of  the  most  pop 
ular  and  efficient  officers  we  have. 

Dr.  Richardson  was  sick,  and  left  behind  at  Bayou  Bceuf. 
Now  Dr.  Sawyer  is  sick,  and  is  going  to  Brashear  City.  So  we  are 


OPELOUSAS    TO    BARRE  S    LANDING  137 

quite  destitute  of  doctors,  except  as  we  use  those  of  other  regi 
ments. 

May  7. —  This  is  a  fine  level  country.  I  have  not  seen  a  hill 
or  stone  since  I  came  into  the  .State.  The  land  is  fertile,  bears 
great  crops  of  cotton,  corn,  and  sugar-cane,  and  produces  more 
alligators,  snakes,  lizards,  scorpions,  negroes,  to  the  acre  than  any 
other  State  in  the  Union.  There  have  been  three  thousand  colored 
people  brought  here  since  we  came.  I  am  provoked  to  see  that 
some  of  the  newspapers  at  home  are  croaking  fearfully  about  the 
Banks  expedition, —  that  it  has  proved  a  failure,  as  man)*  thought 
it  would,  the  waste  of  time  and  money,  that  Banks  is  a  coward, 
and  so  on.  Now  the  man  that  says  this  is  a  rebel  at  heart ;  for  it 
is  false,  every  word  of  it.  When  the  facts  of  the  expedition  are 
known,  every  honest  man  will  say  that  it  has  been  thus  far  emi 
nently  successful. 

At  Barre's  Landing  we  spent  most  of  the  month  of  May,  as 
peaceful  and  uneventful  a  month  as  possible,  alike  removed  from 
war  and  civilization.  Here  we  gathered  in  contrabands  by  the 
thousands  —  a  picturesque  crowd  —  and  cotton  in  great  amounts. 
It  was  a  prolonged  picnic.  The  boys,  in  gathering  cotton  for  the 
country's  use,  gathered  in  chickens  at  the  same  time  for  their  own 
use.  Cooking  utensils  were  not  abundant :  our  tin  pot  was  our 
main  dependence.  I  told  the  boys  one  morning  that,  if  they 
found  a  kettle  lying  around  loose  anywhere,  they  might  bring  it 
along.  At  night  one  brought  the  very  thing  I  needed, —  namely,  a 
coal  hod, —  which  served  my  purpose  admirably.  There  was  no 
lack  of  poultry  just  then,  some  pork  and  potatoes  could  be  secured 
at  the  sutler's,  and  the  commissary  furnished  hard-tack ;  and  such 
delicious  stews  as  we  had  !  Cannot  get  such  living  any  where  else. 
Before  -my  stew  was  quite  cooked,  the  boys  would  come  up  to  see 
if  they  could  get  the  loan  of  the  chaplain's  coal-hod  for  their  own 
stew.  The  coal-hod  became  a  great  favorite  in  the  regiment. 
Prolonged  fasts  on  the  previous  march  had  prepared  good  appe 
tites  for  the  luxuries  Barre's  Landing  furnished.  I  have  gone 
somewhat  extensively  into  the  hen  business.  I  keep  some  hens 
tethered  to  stakes  about  the  camp,  and  they  furnish  us  some  fresh 
eggs;  but  the  hens  are  consigned  to  the  coal-hod  on  the  first 
rumor  of  breaking  up  camp.  Their  missing  places  are  soon  sup 
plied.  I  think  the  planters  in  this  region  must  have  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  Yankees  were  fond  of  poultry,  and  had  good 
appetites.  I  wrote  one  sermon  at  Barre's  Landing;  but  it  was  not 


I38  HISTORY    OF    THE    $2D    REGIMENT 

upon  the  subject  of  stealing  chickens.     Such  a  topic  would  have 
made  a  disturbance  in  camp. 

May  4,  '63.— At  dress  parade   I  invited   the   men  to  a  prayer- 
meeting.'   We  have  not  had  one  for  a  long  time,  and  a  hundred  or 
more  came  to  the  meeting  in  my  tent.     The  men  sat  down  on  the 
ground  in  the  open  air.     I  had  my  confiscated  carryall  seat  for  a 
pulpit.     There  are  a  multitude  of  men  ready  to  help  carry  on  such 
meetings.     Sunday  was  a  splendid  day.     I  looked  over  my  one  ser 
mon,  and  got  ready  for  church,  which  consisted  in   sponging  my 
clothes  -with  soap  and  water  and  mending  them  as  well  as  I  could. 
We  had  a  large  congregation,  good  singing,  and  the  sermon  was  as 
good  as  the  chaplain  could  make  it.     Then  a  bath  in  the  river,  and 
afterwards    a   dinner,    which   consisted    of    minute    pudding    and 
pickles.     Then  a  call  from  Major  Hall,  a  splendid  fellow,  full^of 
health  and  life,  loves  the  service,  especially  in   the  cavalry,  which 
is  full  of  excitement.     He  has  all  the  dash  and  boldness  required 
for  a  good  cavalry  officer.     He  stayed  to  supper  with  me,  which 
consisted  of  mush  and  molasses ;  and,  by  a  little  management,  I 
contrived  to  have  one  plate  for  him  and  another  for  myself.     I 
hope  we  are  to  remain  here  and  continue  to  guard  this  place.     The 
camp  is  better  than  I  shall  expect  to  get  elsewhere.     We  do  not 
suffer  much  with  mosquitoes,  but  the  fleas  are  almost  intolerable. 

May  io.— In  the  evening  we  had  a  prayer-meeting  in  a  cook 
shanty.  A  picturesque  sight  I  thought  it.  The  shanty  made  of 
rails,  one  tallow  candle,  forty  or  fifty  rough  men  in  their  shirt 
sleeves  or  ragged  coats,  but  all  interested  and  earnest  as  they 
could  be.  The  chaplain  had  a  chair,  and  sat  in  the  centre  as 
moderator.  After  the  meeting  Hosmer  and  I  went  over  to  the 
"nigger  quarters,"  as  they  are  called,  where  there  were  hundreds 
of  the  poor  creatures  who  have  taken  refuge  with  us.  Poor  fel 
lows  !  they  have  had  a  hard  lot  of  it,  and  a  still  harder  one  is  in 
store.  The  present  generation  must  suffer,  whatever  be  the  final 

issue. 

Corp.  Hosmer  at  Barre's  Landing  :  - 

"A  mountain  of  cotton  bales  is  piled  upon  the  river  bank,  to 
which  hundreds  of  teams  are  continually  adding.  We  are  stationed 
here  to  serve  as  a  guard  while  this  property  is  being  gathered.  Is 
this  hard  ?  It  is  the  government  policy,  and  should  be  thus  de 
fended.  The  owners  of  all  this  are  rebels,  who  have  fled  at  our  ap 
proach.  It  is  right,  therefore,  to  confiscate  their  property.  Great 
barbarities,  I  fear,  have  been  committed  ;  but  of  these  I  have  seen 


OPELOUSAS  TO  BARRE  S  LANDING  139 

but  little.  They  are  committed  by  stragglers.  I  do  own  up 
frankly  to  pillaging,  to  have  stolen  some  onions  in  the  Swayze 
garden,  to  have  assisted  in  robbing  some  sugar-casks,  and  to  have 
held  a  candle  while  a  lot  of  purloined  cattle  have  been  butchered. 
It  is  nearly  three  weeks  since  we  encamped  on  the  Courtableau- 
The  pile  of  cotton  is  a  mountain  at  the  landing.  All  day  long 
teams  have  brought  it  in,  and  now  it  goes  piecemeal  through  the 
bayou  on  little  steamers  toward  New  Orleans.  I  am  reduced  now 
to  about  the  last  stage.  My  blouse  grows  raggeder,  my  boots,  as 
the  boys  say,  are  hungry  in  many  places.  I  have  only  one  shirt, 
and  that  has  shrunk  about  the  neck  until  buttons  and  button-holes 
are  irretrievably  divorced.  Washing  days,  if  I  were  anywhere  else, 
I  should  have  to  lie  abed  until  the  washerwoman  brought  me 
the  shirt.  Now  I  cannot  lie  abed  for  two  reasons :  first,  I  am 
washerwoman  myself ;  second,  the  bed  is  only  bed  at  night.  By 
daytime  it  is  parlor  floor,  divan,  dining-room,  and  library,  and 
therefore  taken  up.  I  have  long  been  without  a  cup.  Somebody 
stole  mine ;  and  I,  unfortunately  for  me,  am  deterred  by  the  relic 
of  a  moral  scruple  which  still  lingers  in  my  breast  from  stealing 
somebody's  else  in  return.  Rations  pall  nowadays.  We  pine  for 
simple  fruits  and  vegetables.  The  other  day,  however,  [  received 
a  gift.  An  easy- conscienced  friend  of  mine  bestowed  on  me 
a  superb  turkey, —  the  biggest  turkey  I  ever  saw,  probably  the 
grandfather  of  the  whole  race.  He  was  fat,  moreover,  so  that  he 
looked  like  an  apoplectic  alderman.  I  carried  him  to  my  tent 
with  toil  and  sweat ;  but  what  to  do  with  him  for  the  night  ?  If  he 
were  left  outside,  he  would  certainly  be  stolen.  So  the  only  way 
was  to  make  a  bed-fellow  of  him.  Occasionally  he  woke  up,  and 
gobbled.  I  feared  all  the  night  the  peck  of  his  bill  and  the  im 
pact  of  his  spurs.  In  the  morning  we  immolated  him  with  proper 
ceremonies.  The  chaplain's  coal-hod — the  best  thing  in  camp  to 
make  a  soup  in  — was  in  use;  but  I  found  a  kettle,  and  prepared 
for  an  immense  and  savory  stew,  the  memory  of  which  will  ever 
steam  up  to  me  from  the  past  with  grateful  sweetness." 


XIII. 

DOWN    THE    TECHE. 
[MAY  21,  1863.] 

The  colonel's  address  :  — 

"May  21  orders  came  to  us  to  vacate  Barre's  Landing,  and  to 
march  back  to  Brashear  City. 

"  Col.  Morgan,  with  the  goth  New  York  Infantry,  Col.  Chicker- 
ing,  with  the  3d  Massachusetts  Cavalry,  had  previously  arrived. 
Both  officers  '  ranked '  me,  and  both  assumed  to  command  en  route. 
The  train  was  about  eight  miles  long.  In  it  were  about  five  thou 
sand  '  contrabands,'  men,  women,  and  children.  One  of  the  lieu 
tenants  of  the  52d  Regiment,  a  brave  soldier,  but,  sad  to  tell,  not 
as  proficient  in  our  English  grammar  as  in  the  military  tactics, 
was  charged  with  the  somewhat  onerous  duty  of  getting  the  ne 
groes  in  line  preparatory  to  marching,  the  first  day;  but  he  found 
it  considerable  of  an  undertaking.  If  he  succeeded  in  getting  a 
few  in  line,  and  then  left  them  to  bring  others  up,  the  first  would 
fall  out,  and  then  he  would  be  compelled  to  go  all  through  with 
the  same  motions  again  ;  and  so  on,  until  the  poor  fellow  got 
pretty  much  discouraged.  At  last,  having  got  them  in  the  best 
shape  he  could,  having  toiled  and  sweat  at  the  business  for  some 
hours,  he  approached  his  captain,  gave  the  military  salute,  and  re 
ported,  'Captain,  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  the  colored  corpse 
is  now  ready  to  move.' 

"  It  was  so  ordered  that  morning  that  my  little  command  had 
the  rear  of  the  moving  train,  and  therefore  was  the  last  to  file  out 
of  camp.  I  remained  to  see  the  last  company  and  the  last  negro 
off;  and,  just  as  the  left  of  the  last  company  filed  past  me  into  the 
highway,  I  heard  loud  shouting  and  considerable  of  a  hurrah  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  bayou,  and,  turning,  saw  a  long  line  of 
mule  trains,  laden  with  a  great  variety  of  'plunder,'  mainly  house 
hold  effects  topped  out  with  any  number  of  'contrabands,'  of  all 
ages  and  both  sexes,  hurrying  pell-mell  to  the  Landing. 

"  I  waited  for  the  first  ferry-load  to  cross,  and  was  soon  saluted 


DOWN    THE    TECHE  141 

by  two  or  three  of  the  same  colored  delegation  that  had  favored 
me  with  a  visit  from  our  Union  friend's — '  Massa  Gantt's  ' — plan 
tation  a  few  weeks  previous,  and  who  then  asked  and  accepted  my 
advice  with  respect  to  themselves.  I  expressed  some  surprise  at 
seeing  them  (having  first  returned  the  salute),  and  asked  them 
what  they  were  doing.  They  said,  when  they  left  me  before,  they 
thought  they  would  do  as  I  advised  them,  and  stay  with  '  Massa 
Gantt';  but,  when  they  learned  the  day  before  that  we  were  all 
going  to  leave,  they  changed  their  minds,  and  concluded  to  'go 
'long,  too,'  and  then  asked  me  if  they  should  not  push  on,  and  join 
their  friends.  I  said,  '  Certainly  you  can,  if  you  wish  ;  but  how 
about  these  mules  and  wagons  and  provisions  and  fine  household 
furniture?  Are  these  all  yours?'  'No:  dem  tings  all  'long  to 
Massa  Gantt;  but  we  wants  'em,  and  so  we  takes  'em.'  'But  is 
that  right  ?  Ought  you  to  take  things  in  this  way  which  do  not 
belong  to  you  ?  Your  people  who  have  gone  along  are  not  pro 
vided  with  such  things,  nor  are  the  soldiers  even  ;  and  why  should 
you  steal  them  in  order  to  have  them  ? '  '  Well,  we  wants  'em,  and 
so  takes  'em,'  was  all  they  were  inclined  to  say  about  it.  And  so  I 
left  them,  and  rode  at  once  to  Col.  Chickering, —  who,  by  special 
order  from  Gen.  Banks,  had  command  of  the  train, —  briefly  made 
known  to  him  the  situation,  and  suggested  that,  while  the  negroes 
themselves  should  be  taken  and  cared  for,  they  should  be  required 
to  surrender  their  stolen  property,  and  that  it  should  be  returned 
to  the  owner.  But  the  colonel  took  a  different  view  of  the  plunder 
question.  He  said,  'Let  them  go  along  with  us  to  Brashear  City, 
and  you  can  report  the  matter  there  to  the  post  commander.'  So, 
musing  on  the  mutability  of  all  human  affairs,  and  of  the  affairs 
of  'contrabands  of  war'  in  particular,  I  rejoined  my  regiment.  A 
few  hours  later  the  plundered  gentleman  himself  overtook  the 
train,  and  rode  up  to  me  and  my  staff.  He  arose  at  the  usual 
hour  that  morning,  to  find  himself  dispossessed  of  nearly  all  his 
personal  property, —  mules,  wagons,  beds,  bedding,  beef,  pork, 
crockery,  silver-ware,  cutlery,  furniture, —  everything,  pretty  much, 
that  the  sable  crowd  could  lay  their  hands  on  had  been  taken; 
that  they  had  not  even  left  silver  or  crockery  or  cutlery  or  pork 
enough  to  set  a  table  for  two.  And  what  could  he  do  about  it  ? 
I  reported  to  him  what  I  had  myself  seen  and  already  done  in  the 
premises,  explained  the  situation  as  well  as  I  could,  and  suggested 
to  him  that  he  accompany  us  to  Brashear  City,  one  hundred  and 
ten  miles  distant,  where  I  would  use  the  little  influence  I  might 


142  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

have  to  get  the  stolen  property  returned  to  him.  The  gentleman 
was  only  too  glad  to  act  upon  my  suggestion. 

"The  commanding  officer,  fearing  an  attack  upon  our  rear  and 
the  loss  of  his  train,  favored  us  with  a  forced  march  the  entire 
distance.  The  last  day  we  were  attacked,  and  marched  forty 
miles  in  much  the  same  deplorable  condition  as  when  we  chased 
the  rebels  up  the  Teche,  four  or  five  weeks  previously.  Then  the 
enemy  ran  before  us :  now  we  scud  before  them.  But  we  arrived 
safely  at  the  post,  albeit  we  were  nearly  exhausted. 

"  On  arriving,  I  found  orders  awaiting  me  to  report  without  delay 
with  my  regiment  to  our  brigade  commander  before  Port  Hudson. 
Gen.  Banks  having  previously  invested  the  town,  all  his  available 
troops  were  needed.  Orders,  therefore,  were  at  once  given  for 
the  regiment  to  take  cars  for  New  Orleans,  whence  we  were  to 
take  steamer  up  the  river ;  and,  while  these  orders  were  being  exe 
cuted,  I  went  with  Mr.  Gantt  to  submit  his  case  to  the  post  com 
mandant,  Col.  Walker,  of  the  4th  Massachusetts.  I  briefly  stated 
the  case  to  Col.  Walker,  giving  him  the  facts  substantially  as  stated 
above,  denounced  the  stealing  by  the  negroes  as  an  outrage  which 
ought  not  to  be  encouraged  by  the  authorities,  and  urged  him 
strongly  to  deal  justly  by  the  wronged  man,  and  order  his  property 
restored  to  him.  Col.  Walker  gave  me  to  understand  that  he 
would  do  this ;  and  I  left  him  to  attend  to  his  own  duties,  while, 
with  my  own  brave  lads,  I  hastened  to  continue  my  duties  on  the 
sanguinary  fields  of  Port  Hudson. 

"A  year  or  more  later  I  was  informed  by  our  worthy  and  effi 
cient  division  quartermaster,  before  mentioned,  that  Col.  Walker 
refused  to  do  anything  whatever  for  our  Union  friend  after  I  left; 
that  he  was  compelled  to  return  home  empty-handed  a  few  days 
afterward,  mortified,  disappointed,  disgusted;  and  that  his  negroes, 
who  so  deserted  and  wronged  him,  had  since,  from  some  cause  or 
other,  nearly  all  died,  that  not  more  than  five  or  six  per  centum  of 
their  number  survived.  And  six  months  later,  while  honoring  me 
with  a  friendly  visit  in  New  Orleans,  the  unfortunate  gentleman 
himself  confirmed  the  sad  tale  with  his  own  lips." 

Sergt. -Major  Whitney  wrote  this  account  for  the  Springfield 
Republican,  and  I  make  copious  extracts  from  it :  — 

"On  the  2ist  of  May  we  broke  camp  at  Barre's  Landing,  and 
took  up  our  southward  march.  At  the  head  was  the  41  st  Massa 
chusetts  Cavalry,  then  a  train  six  or  eight  miles  long,  with  here 
and  there  a  regiment  and  a  section  of  artillery,  and  then  the  rear 


DOWN    THE    TEC  HE  143 

guard.  The  train  was  such  a  sight  as  few  of  us  have  ever  had  the 
chance  to  see.  There  were  fifty  ammunition  wagons,  the  pieces 
having  gone  along  with  Banks.  There  was  a  drove  of  over  one 
thousand  horses,  mules,  and  beeves.  There  were  six  thousand 
negroes  on  foot,  on  horseback,  or  in  carts  ;  five  hundred  emigrant 
wagons,  loaded  with  everything  conceivable,  such  as  feather  beds 
and  bureaus,  to  mountainous  heights  ;  a  nursing  mother,  with  her 
baby,  mounted  on  a  pinnacle,  or  a  self-conscious  African  beauty 
answering  the  salutations  of  the  soldiers  with  smiles,  showing  a 
brilliant  display  of  teeth.  We  must  have  made  an  amusing,  even 
if  an  infuriating,  spectacle  to  the  natives.  Though  we  were  carry 
ing  off  their  chattels,  real  and  personal,  few  could  have  failed  to 
get  a  hearty  laugh  at  the  circus  parade  we  furnished  them  with 
their  earthly  goods. 

"  The  blooming  of  the  roses  attended  our  northward  march. 
Now  that  is  past,  and  the  blackberry  season  has  come  instead. 
At  every  halt  the  men  turn  to  the  sides  of  the  road,  and  eat  great 
berries  as  big  as  their  thumbs.  Indeed,  we  did  scarcely  anything 
else.  It  is  one  of  the  curious  things  about  heavy  marching  that 
the  memory  does  not  hold  events  or  sights  of  the  way  in  their  true 
order.  Experience  follows  experience,  so  that  all  events  are  well- 
nigh  effaced.  As  one  sits  down  to  recall  what  happened  on  that 
march,  there  floats  up  a  vision  of  soldiers  swarming  into  sugar- 
houses  with  empty  haversacks,  and  tumbling  out  again,  laden 
with  sweets.  One  loaded  more  than  he  liked  ;  for  the  top  of  the 
hogshead  of  molasses  had  yielded  under  him,  and  he  dropped  in 
to  his  neck  in  the  luscious  fluid.  Until  that  man  could  wash  his 
clothes,  he  was  not  counted  good  company,  except  by  the  flies  and 
ants.  At  the  edge  of  every  town  the  fifes  and  drums  struck  up, 
the  men  fell  into  step,  brought  their  muskets  from  arms  at  will  to 
right  shoulder  shift,  and  went  down  the  street  in  impressive  style. 
Very  funny  was  one  sight  as  we  went  through  St.  Martin's.  Two 
ladies  are  sitting  very  haughtily  on  their  upper  gallery,  through 
their  fans  watching  the  Feds  go  by,  their  heads  held  very  loftily, 
and  their  looks  full  of  disdain.  Suddenly  their  colored  mammy 
rushed  out  from  the  lower  part  of  the  house,  overpowered  by  the 
sight  of  our  long  procession,  and  determined,  though  weighing 
fully  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  to  go  on  foot  with  us,  many 
thousands  of  her  people,  sure  that  liberty  and  happiness  would 
be  wherever  they  were  going.  Suddenly  the  haughtiness  of  the 
fine  ladies  on  the  gallery  changed.  They  flashed  down  the  inner 


144  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

stairs,  rushed  to  the  very  edge  of  the  street,  got  each  a  fat  arm  of 
their  household  reliance,  and  sought  to  drag  her  back  to  the  house. 
The  soldiers  cheered  both  sides,  but  the  ladies  prevailed. 

"  Our  first  day's  march  was  eighteen  miles,  the  next  we  made 
eighteen,  and  on  the  following  day,  the  23d,  we  made  eighteen 
miles  again.  On  the  24th  we  made  fifteen  miles.  On  the  25th  we 
went  through  Franklin,  making  twenty-one  miles,  stopping  a  little 
below  Centreville,  expecting  to  encamp.  Ninety  miles  in  five  days 
was  pretty  good  speed  for  a  party  hampered  as  we  were  with  an 
enormous  train.  But  just  here  we  find  that  our  real  work  was 
about  to  begin.  We  are  just  settling  down  to  a  night's  rest,  when 
staff  officers,  in  intense  excitement,  came  dashing  up  to  the  various 
colonels  with  orders  to  return  immediately  and  quickly  on  our 
tracks.  Silently,  but  with  inward  grumblings,  we  fall  into  line,  go 
back  into  the  road,  and  plod  back,  back,  back.  Five  miles  we 
measured  in  our  silence,  broken  only  by  an  occasional  expletive 
from  one  who  does  not  see  the  fun  of  all  this.  At  last  we  halted 
for  a  while,  and  then,  in  the  end  of  daylight,  deployed  into  a  field, 
along  the  fences  facing  northward,  and  watched.  But  we  were 
convinced  that  no  enemy  was  on  the  road  to  shell  us  then.  It 
turned  out  afterwards  that  Gen.  Mouton,  in  command  of  a  rebel 
force,  expected  to  attack  us,  but  thought  he  could  do  it  better 
further  on,  as  he  was  told  that  we  were  embarrassed  with  an  enor 
mous  train  and  with  hordes  of  negroes.  Convinced  that  we  were 
safe  for  the  night,  we  came  back  grumbling.  Thinking  that  it  was 
a  scare  on  the  part  of  our  officers,  we  crept  back  to  the  place  where 
we  had  started  to  camp.  When  we  reached  it,  it  was  half-past  eleven 
at  night.  We  had  added  ten  miles  for  what  we  thought  at  the 
time  a  useless  scare, —  ten  miles  to  the  twenty-one  that  had  seemed 
a  good  deal  more  than  enough. 

"  It  did  not  take  us  long  to  fall  upon  the  ground,  and  get  lost 
in  the  soundest  sleep.  Presently  came  the  call,  '  Fall  in  !  fall  in  !  ' 
It  was  hard  to  wake  us  when  no  bugle  blast  from  mules  at  the 
wagon  wheels  had  given  official  notice  of  the  coning  of  day,  and 
no  genuine  bugle  call  at  headquarters  had  said,  '  Wake  up  !  '  It 
is  not  day :  it  is  the  moon  that  is  rising.  We  have  slept  but  an 
hour.  It  is  only  half-past  twelve.  What  can  be  wanted  now? 
We  go  heavily  into  the  road,  and  turn  southward.  We  are  pressed 
on  without  halts  for  rest.  Thirty-one  miles  of  marching  since  the 
early  morning  prepared  us  poorly  for  this.  The  men,  with  terrible 
thoughts  which  struggle  against  the  oppression  of  desire  for  sleep, 


DOWN    THE    TECHE  145 

—  the  men  sleep  as  they  march.  Speak  to  them,  and  you  have  to 
rouse  them  as  you  would  have  to  arouse  a  man  at  midnight  in  his 
bed.  Seven  miles  are  measured  by  four  o'clock,  and  then  there  is 
a  halt.  The  train  keeps  on.  At  dawn  of  day  the  enemy  was  up, 
and  pressing  on  in  the  road  for  a  sharp  battle,  an  easy  victory,  and 
a  splendid  prize.  They  reach  our  camping  ground  in  the  morning, 
and  we  are  not  there.  The  bird  has  flown,  and  has  lodged  seven 
miles  away.  The  fatal  rest  of  the  rebel  force  at  Vermillionville, 
and  Col.  Chickering's  prudence  in  ordering  a  forced  march  after 
moonrise  have  snatched  from  them  the  prize  that  they  had  marched 
so  far  and  so  fast  to  win.  Gen.  Mouton  calls  off  the  pursuit ;  and 
his  men,  jaded,  disappointed,  disgusted,  returned  slowly  up  the 
Teche. 

"The  next  morning  we  spring  swiftly  on  for  thirteen  miles,  and 
at  noon  are  at  Berwick  Bay,  under  the  shelter  of  our  guns.  The 
number  of  Union  soldiers  on  that  march  was  about  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  well-seasoned  men.  We  have  made  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  in  five  and  one-half  days,  fifty  three  in  the  last 
thirty  hours,  forty  miles  in  twenty-four  hours ;  and  now  our  jour 
ney  is  done.  We  cross  the  Atchafalaya,  and  encamp." 

Daniel  W.  Lyman  gives  the  following  account  in  the  Northamp 
ton  Gazette:  — 

"Thursday  morning,  May  21,  we  fall  into  line  with  a  train  some 
six  or  eight  miles  long.  The  force  consists  of  the  4ist  Massachu 
setts  mounted,  the  goth  New  York,  52d  Massachusetts,  26th  and 
22d  Maine  Regiments,  one  company  of  the  i3th  Connecticut,  and 
one  section  of  Nims'  battery.  Could  the  train  pass  through  the 
Connecticut  Valley,  say  from  Greenfield  to  Springfield,  it  would 
have  been  a  sight  greater  than  any  circus  that  ever  was  exhibited. 
The  cavalry  took  the  advance,  then  a  long  train  of  wagons  loaded 
with  commissary  stores,  then  ambulance  wagons,  then  a  long  train 
of  contrabands,  with  vehicles  of  all  sorts,  shapes,  and  sizes,  piled 
with  all  manner  of  furniture,  the  weak,  sick,  and  infirm  on  the  top 
of  the  load.  We  were  hoping  to  have  an  easy  march.  Six  miles 
without  halting  in  the  heat  of  the  day  and  through  clouds  of  dust. 
After  a  halt  for  dinner  we  went  on  till  after  dark,  making  a  dis 
tance  of  more  than  twenty  miles  the  first  day.  For  three  days  on 
we  continued  our  march  with  varied  experiences,  making  each  day 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles,  and  met  with  no  difficulty  till  near 
the  close  of  the  third  day,  when,  after  the  advance  had  encamped 
for  the  night  and  were  waiting  for  the  rest  to  come  up,  the  rear 


146  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

guard  was  fired  upon,  and  a  portion  of  the  force  was  ordered  bacl 
five  miles,  to  find  that  only  a  few  guerillas  were  falling  back  be 
fore  them.  After  they  were  driven  back,  the  infantry  were  orderec 
about,  and  continued  to  march  all  night,  except  an  hour  at  mid 
night.  We  arrived  at  Berwick  Bay,  having  marched  one  hundrec 
and  twenty-six  miles  in  five  days  and  two  hours,  the  last  fifty 
three  miles  in  twenty-eight  consecutive  hours." 


XIV. 

LETTERS  FROM  NEW  ORLEANS. 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

NEW  ORLEANS,  May  21,  1863. 

This  is  a  new  spot  to  write  from, —  in  a  civilized  place,  with  a 
chair  to  sit  in  and  a  marble-top  table  under  my  paper.  I  had 
been  thinking  for  several  days  at  Barre's  Landing  to  ask  for  leave 
of  absence  for  a  few  days,  and  go  into  the  city ;  but  on  Sunday 
last  Col.  Greenleaf  gave  me  a  pass.  I  supposed  he  wanted  I 
should  render  assistance  to  a  crowd  of  sick  men  that  were  to  be 
sent  to  New  Orleans.  It  turns  out  that  he  thought  I  was  not 
usually  well,  and  needed  a  rest  and  a  change,  so  he  was  sending 
me  to  New  Orleans.  The  impression  then  was  that  the  52d  Reg 
iment  was  to  move  soon  to  Red  River.  On  Monday  I  went  aboard 
the  boat  for  Brashear  City.  While  waiting  for  the  boat  to  start, 
the  colonel  came  aboard,  and  told  me,  in  the  strictest  confidence, 
that  he  had  just  received  orders  to  march  the  regiment  back  to 
Brashear  City,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  distant,  and  to 
take  with  them  all  the  contrabands,  mules,  horses,  wagons,  etc., 
that  they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  I  rejoiced  with  great  joy  that 
I  had  escaped  that  march.  It  will  be  a  hard  one  for  the  boys.  I 
should  have  felt  that  I  must  go  with  them,  had  I  known  it.  On 
board  our  boat  were  two  hundred  sick  men  to  be  left  at  Brashear 
City,  under  care  of  Dr.  Sawyer,  one  hundred  and  ten  bales  of  cot 
ton,  and  three  or  four  hundred  negro  women  and  babies.  We 
started  at  3  P.M.,  and  passed  down  the  Bayou  Courtableau  and 
stirred  up  any  number  of  alligators  asleep  on  the  bank.  At  dusk 
we  reached  the  Atchafalaya,  and  tied  up  to  a  tree,  and  remained 
there  all  night.  The  boat  was  so  crowded  there  was  no  place  to 
sleep.  Dr.  Sawyer  and  I  attempted  it  on  the  dining-table ;  but  the 
doctor  was  taken  ill,  so  I  was  up  with  him  most  of  the  night,  and 
got  no  sleep.  The  next  morning  we  were  early  on  our  way  on  the 
Atchafalaya.  Do  you  remember  that  these  are  the  places  where 
Evangeline  sought  for  Gabriel  ?  In  the  morning,  as  we  passed 
Butte  a  la  Rose  (the  Greenfield  paper  called  it  Butler  La  Rosa),  we 


148  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

met  a  boat  coming  up.  I  thought  of  you  on  board  looking  for  me 
a  la  Evangeline.  I  did  not  see  you  ;  but  we  passed  near  enough  to 
catch  glimpses  of  the  men  of  our  four  companies,  A,  E,  F,  and  G, 
on  board,  going  up  to  Barre's  Landing.  They  will  get  there  just 
in  season  to  join  the  others  in  their  long  march  back  to  Brashear 
City,  which  they  have  just  left.  It  is  too  bad ;  for  they  have  just 
marched  from  New  Iberia  to  Brashear  City, —  fifty  miles.  Many 
conjecture  that  the  march  is  all  a  feint,  and  that  the  52d  Regiment, 
when  it  does  move,  will  move  north  to  Simmesport,  where  Grover's 
division  is  concentrating.  All  this  is  conjecture. 

We  reached  Brashear  City  at  2  P.M.  I  was  busy  at  once,  helping 
unload  the  sick  men.  Dr.  Sawyer  is  better,  but  could  do  nothing. 
Hosmer  says,  as  he  stood  looking  on  as  I  came  off  with  one  and 
another  sick  fellow  leaning  upon  my  shoulder,  a  man  standing  by 
said,  referring  to  me,  "  He  is  a  clever  old  fellow,  is  he  not  ? " 
There  is,  indeed,  a  good  deal  of  labor  and  exposure,  when  every 
month  adds  at  least  a  year  to  the  age  of  every  man  in  the  regi 
ment.  We  are  a  bronzed,  shaggy,  ragged  set.  We  have  six  or 
seven  hundred  sick  men  in  tents  at  Brashear  City,  about  fifty  of 
the  52d  Regiment  boys,  none  very  sick.  Mason  Moody  I  saw  as 
we  passed  through ;  thin,  but  does  not  look  sick.  I  tried  to  see 
the  sick  men  in  the  hospital,  and  told  the  boys  they  were  in  luck 
in  staying  here  and  avoiding  the  hard  march  which  the  regiment 
must  make;  for  the  roads  would  be  very  dusty,  the  water  scarce, 
and  of  so  poor  a  quality  that  we  would  not  want  to  wash  our 
feet  in  it  at  home.  We  are  living  in  great  excitement,  full  of  con 
fidence  that  something  is  at  last  to  be  done  at  Port  Hudson. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  May  26. 

The  mail  has  come.  I  hope  there  is  a  letter  for  Pat  somewhere. 
I  mean  the  little,  good-natured,  friendless,  dirty  Pat  that  I  have 
told  you  about,  who  rarely  fails  to  bring  me  in  a  drink  of  milk  in 
his  canteen  when  he  is  on  picket  duty.  I  have  been  to  look  after 
the  baggage  of  our  regiment,  and  found  that  most  of  the  boxes 
had  been  broken  into.  Shall  I  bring  our  colored  boy,  Sam  How 
ard,  home  with  me  ?  If  I  do,  keep  the  garden  going ;  then  get 
into  the  easiest  chair  with  the  newest  novel,  and  call  out  occa 
sionally:  "Sam,  pick  the  peas!"  "Sam,  dig  the  potatoes!" 
"  Sam,  put  the  rooster  to  bed  !  "  When  Bridget  is  washing,  you 
may  say :  "  Sam,  fill  the  coal-hod."  "  Sam,  kill  the  pullet,  and 
make  a  savory  stew." 


LETTERS    FROM    NEW   ORLEANS  149 

I  hope  you  will  not  worry  about  my  health.  I  was  a  good  deal 
run  down  when  I  came  here ;  but  I  have  secured  lodgings  with 
a  good  colored  woman,  and  she  takes  excellent  care  of  me,  and 
I  hope  I  am  improving.  I  am  expecting  the  regiment  will  pass 
through  here  on  their  way  to  Port  Hudson,  and  I  hope  I  shall  be 
well  enough  to  go  with  them.  That  is  my  only  trouble  now.  I 
am  too  weak  to  do  much  marching.  I  get  on  nicely  with  my  col 
ored  hostess.  I  listen  to  her  stories,  praise  her  children  and  her 
cooking,  and  she  does  get  up  the  nicest  little  home  dishes  you  can 
imagine.  I  think  it  will  be  best  for  me  to  stay  here  till  I  am  bet 
ter,  before  I  undertake  to  join  the  regiment.  I  did  expect  to  go 
to-morrow,  but  I  will  wait  a  day  or  two.  Do  not  worry  about  me 
or  fancy  that  I  am  sick  ;  for  I  am  not,  only  in  the  condition  where 
I  must  be  very  careful  of  myself. 

May  28. —  The  regiment  has  arrived,  and  are  marching  on 
toward  Port  Hudson.  They  have  had  a  hard  march  from  Barre's 
Landing  to  Brashear  City, —  forty  miles,  they  say,  in  twenty-four 
hours. 

To  my  Sunday-school :  — 

NEW  ORLEANS,  May  31,  1863. 

I  am  hauled  up  here  a  few  days  for  repairs,  not  to  get  a  new 
leg  or  arm,  like  multitudes  of  poor  fellows  I  see  in  the  hospitals. 
But  I  had  become  a  little  weak  in  the  joints.  I  needed  rest.  So 
I  obtained  a  few  days'  leave  of  absence,  and  came  here,  where 
a  good  mulatto  woman  has  taken  me  into  her  nicely  furnished 
rooms. 

Sunday  is  spent  very  strangely  in  camp,  very  different  from 
what  I  could  wish.  My  last  Sunday  with  the  52d  Regiment  was 
at  Barre's  Landing.  Late  Saturday  night  a  boat  came  up  and 
brought  a  mail ;  and,  as  I  am  postmaster,  I  had  to  sort  and  dis 
tribute  the  mail.  Some  came  Saturday  night  for  theirs,  others 
Sunday  morning.  I  was  busy  till  noon  on  Sunday  in  sorting  the 
mail,  and  getting  one  ready  to  go  back.  Then  to  the  hospital, 
with  a  mail  for  the  sick  men  there.  In  the  afternoon  the  men 
were  called  out  for  inspection,  all  their  guns,  knapsacks,  and 
equipments  carefully  examined.  If  a  speck  of  rust  is  seen  on  a 
gun,  the  man  is  sent  in  disgrace  to  his  tent  to  clean  it.  As  soon 
as  the  inspection  was  over,  we  were  all  called  out  to  a  review.  It 
seemed  quite  useless,  and  especially  so  to  have  it  on  Sunday.  The 
men  scolded  about  it ;  but  it  does  not  do  to  scold  in  the  army. 


150  HISTORY    OF    THE    5'2D    REGIMENT 

We  must  do  as  we  are*  told.  I  have  no  doubt  we  made  a  verj 
pretty  show  for  some  people  who  had  come  up  from  New  Orleans, 
evidently  to  see  the  little  army  here.  After  supper  I  called  to^ 
gether  as  many  of  the  men  as  were  disposed  to  come,  and  we  had 
a  good  religious  service.  1  stood  at  the  door  of  my  tent,  and  the 
men  sat  on  the  ground  before  me.  I  preached  a  sermon  from  the 
text  Mark  xii.  30.  What  was  it  ?  There  is  a  good  deal  about  a 
soldier's  life,  which  is  very  hard ;  but  to  sleep  on  the  ground,  ever] 
without  a  tent  over  you,  is  not  a  great  hardship.  To  eat  coarse 
food  is  not  very  bad.  A  man  who  is  in  good  health  will  nevei 
complain  of  his  food  or  his  lodging.  The  hardship  comes  when  £ 
man  is  sick, —  marching  all  day  when  he  should  be  in  bed.  To  be 
sick  in  the  hospital,  with  no  kind  hand  to  minister  to  his  wants 
is  very  hard.  We  have  seen  a  great  deal  of  this.  The  govern 
ment  does  all  it  can  for  the  comfort  of  the  men,  but  there  is  £ 
great  amount  of  suffering ;  for  they  are  bringing  to  the  hospitals 
every  day  men  wounded  in  the  recent  battles  at  Port  Hudson 
some  with  arms,  some  with  legs  shot  off,  and  these  men  suffei 
terribly.  War  is  a  horrible  thing,  and  I  hope  the  time  will  come 
when  there  will  be  "  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men  " ;  bui 
it  is  not  yet.  We  have  a  good  government,  and  we  must  do  all  we 
can  to  defend  it.  And  I  hope  we  shall  hear  good  things  from  Porl 
Hudson  and  Vicksburg.  When  these  are  taken,  the  governmem 
will  let  us  go  home,  and  not  till  then  ;  and  it  will  be  a  glad  da) 
for  all  of  us  who  can  reach  home. 

Stowell's  letter  from  New  Orleans  :  — 

"  We  arrived  at  Brashear  City  about  noon,  making  fifty  miles 
since  the  morning  before.  There  were  only  eleven  of  our  com 
pany  to  come  in  :  the  rest  had  fallen  out.  I  did  not  feel  ver) 
badly  when  I  reached  Brashear  City ;  but  I  lay  upon  the  grounc 
and  slept  nearly  twenty-four  hours,  and,  when  I  awoke,  I  was  usec 
up,  and  for  two  or  three  clays  was  quite  sick.  I  am  better  now 
but  another  trouble  has  come, —  one  of  my  hips  and  knees  refuses 
to  navigate.  I  don't  know  what  the  matter  is,  unless  it  is  rheu 
matism.  It  pains  me  quite  hard,  and  I  cannot  walk  much  ;  but  ] 
am  in  good  quarters,  where  I  have  the  best  of  care.  We  arrivec 
at  Algiers  just  at  night,  and  the  order  came  for  all  who  were  able 
to  go  on  board  a  boat  immediately  for  Port  Hudson.  Out  of  thirty 
eight  of  our  company,  fifteen  have  been  sent  to  the  hospital. 

"  Sunday,  May  31. —  The  surgeon  has  just  been  the  rounds,  anc 


LETTERS    FROM    NEW    ORLEANS  151 

this  afternoon  I  am  to  have  my  hip  blistered,  which  I  think  will 
help  me. 

"Hospital,  June  4. —  The  doctor  has  blistered  my  hip,  and  I 
am  doing  quite  finely,  and  hope  to  join  the  regiment  all  right.  I 
am  in  good  health  and  spirits,  and,  had  I  been  treated  as  a  human 
being  should  be,  this  would  not  have  happened  to  me  ;  but  to 
march  men  fifty  miles  in  twenty-eight  hours  in  this  climate  is  a 
little  more  than  most  men  can  endure.  There  are  sixty  patients  in 
the  room  I  am  in,  and  about  the  same  number  in  the  other  rooms. 
The  deaths  average  about  eight  a  day.  They  are  taken  out  every 
morning,  put  into  the  dead-house,  and  are  buried  in  the  after 
noon.  I  am  growing  a  little  better,  so  that  I  walk  about  some 
with  a  cane.  It  is  very  warm  here, —  a  steady  heat  day  after  day. 
The  thermometer  ranges  from  100°  to  108°  in  the  shade. 

"June  15. —  I  asked  the  doctor  to  send  me  to  the  regiment,  but 
he  would  not  do  it. 

"June  25. — I  am  gaining,  but  would  be  better  to  stay  here  a 
few  days  longer ;  t>ut  they  are  wanting  every  man  they  can  get 
at  Port  Hudson.  It  is  said  we  have  lost  over  three  thousand  men 
there. 

"  June  26. —  I  expected  to  leave  yesterday,  but  did  not.  This 
morning  I  received  a  mail  for  the  first  time  since  coming  here.  It 
had  all  been  up  to  the  regiment  at  Port  Hudson.  I  had  ten  let 
ters  from  home.  Just  think  of  it !  I  am  expecting  the  order  every 
minute  to  'fall  in';  then  ho!  for  Port  Hudson.  I  can  get  there 
without  much  marching. 

''Lafayette  Square,  New  Orleans,  July  2. —  This  date  shows 
that  I  am  not  at  Port  Hudson,  as  I  expected  to  be  by  this  time. 
The  rebels  are  getting  so  thick  about  here  that  they  will  have  to 
keep  what  troops  they  have  in  this  city.  I  have  charge  of  a  squad, 
and  am  quartered  on  Lafayette  Square,  in  about  the  centre  of  the 
city,  and  one  of  the  most  pleasant  places  I  ever  saw.  I  am  not 
quite  as  well  as  I  wish, —  not  as  well  as  when  I  was  at  the  hos 
pital. 

"  July  4. —  Yesterday  I  did  not  sit  up,  and  think  I  shall  have  to 
go  back  to  the  hospital  again.  They  are  celebrating  the  Fourth 
in  great  shape. 

"July  10. — Port  Hudson  and  Vicksburg  have  both  fallen, —  one 
on  the  4th,  the  other  on  the  8th.  Everything  has  been  in  a  state  of 
excitement  ever  since.  It  has  been  nothing  but  firing  of  cannon, 
music,  torchlight  processions,  etc.,  and,  in  contrast  to  all  this,  loads 


152  HISTORY    OF    THE    £2D    REGIMENT 

of  wounded,  sick,  and  dying  men  going  by  to  the  different  hos 
pitals,  all  mixed  up  together.  July  15  left  New  Orleans  at  5  P.M., 
and  arrived  at  Baton  Rouge  the  i6th  at  one  o'clock  P.M.  Landed 
at  Port  Hudson  at  6  P.M.  on  Thursday.  Found  the  regiment 
camped  about  a  mile  from  the  river,  a  good  many  of  them  sick, 
and  all  homesick.  I  believe  it  is  the  most  nasty,  hateful,  God-for 
saken  place  I  have  seen  in  the  whole  campaign,  but  we  are  all  in 
hopes  to  get  away  from  here  soon. 

"  Thursday,  July  23. —  We  are  at  last  fairly  started  for  home,  on 
the  boat  '  Choteau.'  " 


XV. 

NEW    IBERIA. 

New  Iberia. —  I  have  already  said  that,  in  our  hurried  march  up 
the  Teche,  on  our  arrival  at  New  Iberia,  four  companies, —  A,  E, 
F,  and  G, —  were  detailed  to  remain  and  hold  the  place.  Capt. 
Long  was  appointed  provost-marshal.  This  detachment  was  to 
keep  the  peace  of  the  town  and  gather  in  such  stores  of  cotton 
and  sugar  as  they  could  find  for  the  benefit  of  the  government, 
and  to  prevent  the  transportation  of  salt  from  the  mines  near  at 
hand  to  rebel  armies.  The  duty  assigned  was  not  a  hard  one,  and 
was  faithfully  performed.  I  have  the  benefit  of  several  journals 
which  were  kept  by  most  of  these  companies,  from  which  I  make 
copious  extracts.  First  Capt.  Richmond's  account  :  — 

"Although  loath  to  be  separated  from  the  regiment,  we  were  glad 
to  be  spared  the  terrible  march  in  the  heat  and  suffocating  dust. 
The  different  companies  were  stationed  in  different  parts  of  the 
town.  Co.  E,  in  the  western  part,  had  charge  of  the  prisoners,  of 
which  there  were  about  a  hundred  and  fifty.  The  prison  pen  was 
a  church,  which  perhaps  never  before  saw  so  large  a  congregation. 
We  kept  the  prisoners  a  few  days,  when  a  detail  was  made  from 
each  company,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Bliss,  and  they  were 
marched  down  to  Franklin,  and  delivered  up  to  the  regulars. 
Our  duties  while  at  New  Iberia  were  not  very  arduous.  We  main 
tained  picket  lines  on  several  of  the  roads  leading  out  of  the  town, 
and  kept  the  little  town  well  governed.  We  occasionally  sent  a 
foraging  party  out  into  the  country  to  pick  up  something  better 
than  army  rations.  This  is  about  the  way  that  a  certain  lieuten 
ant  and  a  small  squad  did  the  work  :  Arriving  at  a  plantation  with 
a  mule  and  a  cart,  the  lieutenant  asked  the  planter  if  he  had  any 
sheep.  If  he  had,  he  was  ordered  to  have  his  darkies  drive  them 
up  into  the  yard.  The  lieutenant  then  would  pick  out  about  half 
a  dozen  fat  lambs,  and  order  the  darkies  to  kill  and  dress  them, 
and  put  them  into  the  cart.  This  done,  he  would  say  to  the 
planter,  Send  in  your  bill  to  Uncle  Sam.  Whether  our  uncle  got 
the  bill  or  not  we  do  not  know ;  but  we  got  the  lambs." 

While  here,  Capt.  Richmond  had  a  horse  that  did  not  suit  him  very 


154  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

well.  One  day,  as  he  had  him  saddled  for  a  ride,  he  saw  a  man 
coming  down  the  road  (a  rebel  of  course),  mounted  on  a  fine-looking 
horse.  As  he  came  up,  the  captain  hailed  him,  and  said,  "  I  would 
like  to  swap  horses  with  you."  Not  thinking  to  force  matters,  in 
deed  not  expecting  to  make  a  trade,  the  reb  never  spoke  a  word, 
but  got  oft0  his  horse,  removed  and  changed  the  saddles  and 
bridles,  handed  the  reins  to  the  captain,  mounted  his  new  horse, 
and  rode  away.  During  the  whole  transaction  not  a  word  was 
spoken.  The  captain  noticed  a  sort  of  a  vicious  smile  on  the  face 
of  the  reb  as  he  rode  away,  but  thought  little  of  it  at  the  time,  but 
afterward  had  occasion  to  recall  it.  He  felt  quite  proud  of  his 
new  horse  ;  but  his  conscience  troubled  him  a  little  for  taking  it 
away  from  the  reb,  feeling  that  the  proposition  to  swap  amounted, 
to  the  reb,  to  a  positive  order.  The  captain  mounted  his  new 
horse  and  rode  out  into  the  country.  He  soon  discovered  that 
he  had  not  a  very  pious  horse,  but  one  much  like  Josh  Billings's 
mule,  of  which  he  said  that,  if  he  was  going  to  break  him,  he 
should  begin  at  the*  forward  end.  The  next  day  he,  in  company 
with  Capt.  Bliss,  started  for  the  bayou  at  the  salt-works,  to  shoot 
alligators,  each  having  a  musket  on  the  saddle.  They  had  got 
out  of  town  a  short  distance  when  the  captain's  horse  concluded 
to  try  titles  with  his  Yankee  rider.  By  a  series  of  plunges  and 
bolts,  he  succeeded  in  landing  the  captain  in  the  ditch,  insensible 
for  a  moment.  Across  the  .plain  the  horse  went,  and  the  captain 
never  saw  him  again,  and  never  wanted  to;  but  he  has  many  times 
since  recalled  the  sardonic  smile  on  the  face  of  the  reb  while 
changing  horses.  That  horse  no  doubt  really  thinks  to  this  day 
that  he  killed  one  Yank.  We  whiled  away  our  time  as  best  we 
could,  endeavoring  to  earn  our  $13  per  month  in  killing  time,  if 
not  rebels.  During  most  of  the  time  that  we  were  at  New  Iberia 
we  had  no  surgeon  and  no  medicine,  which,  I  suppose,  accounts  for 
the  good  health  of  the  men  while  there.  One  object  of  our  stop 
at  New  Iberia  was,  I  suppose,  the  salt-works,  from  which  the  rebs 
were  taking  out  large  quantities  of  very  fine  salt.  These  works 
were  destroyed  by  our  force,  but  years  after  were  worked  under 
the  superintendence  of  our  Col.  Greenleaf  for  a  time.  We  finally 
received  an  order  to  leave  New  Iberia  and  the  Teche  Country, 
and  take  off  what  little  force  there  was  below  us,  and  take  the 
darkies  that  wanted  to  go  with  us,  leave  them  at  Brashear  City, 
take  the  boat  up  the  Atchafalaya  River,  and  join  our  regiment. 
We  left  New  Iberia  May  13,  fully  expecting  to  be  attacked  by  the 


NEW    IBERIA  155 

rebs  before  we  got  far  with  our  twelve  hundred  darkies,  but  were 
not  molested.  We  sailed  up  the  Atchafalaya  River,  and  joined  our 
regiment  May  19,  very  glad  to  take  our  old  places  in  line  again 
after  more  than  four  weeks'  absence. 

Stowell's  letter :  — 

"New  Iberia,  April  16,  1863. —  Now  for  the  first  time  in  many 
days  I  have  a  little  leisure.  I  must  begin  back  a  little  ways.  We 
left  Brashear  City  one  week  ago.  Our  division  was  put  on  trans 
ports.  We  were  crowded  aboard  the  boat  as  thick  as  we  could 
stand.  Every  inch  of  room  was  occupied,  as  we  did  not  expect 
to  be  aboard  but  two  hours ;  but  a  gun-boat  that  was  to  escort 
us  ran  aground,  and  so  we  were  kept  aboard  forty  hours.  We 
all  suffered  for  want  of  rest.  We  could  neither  lie  down  nor  sit 
up,  and  headaches  and  cramps  prevailed.  We  landed  at  a  place 
called  Indian  Ridge.  The  rebels  were  not  asleep,  and  we  skir 
mished  with  them  all  day,  but  finally  drove  them  over  a  bayou,  while 
they  attempted  to  burn  the  bridge;  but  we  were  so  near  they  did 
not  succeed.  At  dark  both  sides  stopped  ;  and  we  were  allowed  to 
rest  a  little,  though  kept  in  line  of  battle.  Our  regiment  was  in 
a  ploughed  field  ;  and  we  lay  down  in  a  line,  and  were  soon  asleep, 
gun  in  hand.  Of  course,  we  had  no  supper,  and,  in  fact,  had  had 
nothing  but  hard-tack  for  two  or  three  days  before.  When  we  had 
lain  there  about  an  hour,  the  rain  began  to  pour  in  torrents,  but  no 
help  for  it.  Our  main  effort  was  to  keep  our  guns  and  powder  dry, 
which  was  somewhat  difficult,  with  the  water  an  inch  deep  under  us 
and  pouring  down  over  us.  At  4  A.M.  we  were  again  in  line,  and 
witnessed,  without  sharing  in,  the  battle  of  Indian  Ridge.  We  were 
held  in  reserve ;  and,  just  as  we  were  ordered  in,  the  rebels  broke 
and  ran.  The  afternoon  we  were  engaged  burying  the  dead  and 
bringing  in  the  wounded.  I  never  wish  to  witness  another  such 
sight.  I  have  no  means  of  knowing  the  loss,  but  it  must  have 
been  several  hundred  on  each  side.  The  25th  Connecticut  lost 
their  colonel,  lieutenant  colonel,  and  adjutant,  and  about  eighty 
from  the  ranks.  They  had  only  three  hundred  before  the  fight. 
The  56th  New  York  and  26th  Maine  suffered  badly.  We  took 
many  prisoners,  and  encamped  close  by  the  field,  the  first  time  for 
four  nights  that  we  had  had  a  chance  to  sleep  much.  The  next 
day  we  marched  twenty-three  miles,  and  carried  our  heavy  loads, 
though  it  was  fearfully  hot.  We  reached  New  Iberia  at  night, 
and  the  roll  was  called.  Only  twenty-three  of  Co.  F  answered  to 
their  names.  The  rest  had  fallen  out  one  by  one. 


156  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

'"''April  26. —  I  have  been  in  the  saddle  nearly  every  day  of  late, 
scouring  the  country  in  search  of  cotton,  sugar,  etc.  We  go  where 
we  choose,  and  confiscate  all  the  teams  we  can  find,  and  make  the 
negroes  hitch  up  and  load  with  cotton  and  sugar,  a  great  deal  of 
which  we  find  hidden  away  in  the  swamps  and  woods ;  but  most 
always  we  can  find  a  negro  who  will  tell  us  where  it  is.  It  is  al 
most  a  reign  of  terror  here. 

"  April  28. —  Yesterday  I  was  in  the  saddle  all  day,  and  found 
a  good  deal  of  cotton.  We  could  trade  horses  where  we  thought 
we  could  better  ourselves,  though  sometimes  we  got  shaved.  I 
saw  some  of  the  finest  horses  in  a  lot  as  we  were  going  by,  and 
I  managed  to  catch  one ;  and,  after  putting  on  my  saddle  and 
bridle,  I  turned  my  old  one  loose  and  mounted  my  new  one,  when, 
lo !  he  could  not  be  made  to  move  a  peg,  backward  or  forward. 
So  I  had  to  take  my  traps  off,  and  let  him  go,  but  succeeded  in 
getting  a  fairly  good  one. 

"  May  5. —  All  but  our  four  companies  leave  to-morrow  morning 
for  Opelousas.  We  shall  not  leave  till  all  the  others  are  gone,  as 
we  are  on  guard. 

"  Brashear  City,  May  18. —  We  left  New  Iberia  Wednesday,  and 
were  the  last  troops  that  left  this  part  of  the  country.  We  took  a 
large  party  of  negroes  with  us.  First  came  three  companies,  then 
the  darkies,  then  the  other  company  as  rear  guard.  Six  of  us 
were  detailed  to  ride  from  one  to  three  miles  in  the  rear,  to  watch 
for  stragglers  and  guerillas.  We  had  good  horses  and  a  very 
pleasant  time ;  could  stop  at  the  plantations,  and  get  all  we  wanted 
to  eat.  The  people  were  willing  to  use  us  well  for  fear  they 
should  do  worse. 

"On  our  arrival  at  Brashear  City  we  were  put  on  a  steamer  to 
go  up  the  Atchafalaya,  to  join  our  regiment  at  Barre's  Landing. 
Reaching  there,  we  found  that  we  were  to  march  back  to  Brashear 
City,  to  guard  an  immense  crowd  of  contrabands.  It  was  a  long, 
hot,  hard  march.  We  were  to  have  eight  days  for  the  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty-five  miles.  But  circumstances  compelled  us  to 
do  it  in  six  days. 

"  Hospital,  New  Orleans,  May  30. —  They  have  brought  me  here 
at  last,  as  you  will  see  by  the  date  of  this.  We  have  seen  pretty 
hard  service  since  I  wrote  last,  and  are  pretty  well  used  up.  We 
left  Brashear  City  on  the  iSth  for  Barre's  Landing,  and  since  we 
have  landed  find  we  are  to  march  back  immediately  to  Brashear 
City, —  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles, —  to  help  guard  a  con- 


NEW    IBERIA  157 

traband  train.  We  started  Thursday  noon,  with  orders  to  occupy 
eight  days  on  the  march,  but  got  back  to  Brashear  City  in  six 
days.  It  was  fearfully  hot  and  dusty.  Some  of  the  way  we  could 
not  see  twenty  feet  ahead,  the  dust  being  like  thick  smoke.  The 
last  fifty  miles  we  made  in  twenty-eight  hours.  The  colonel  got 
frightened  on  Monday  afternoon,  when  we  had  got  about  six  miles 
below  Franklin.  We  were  all  tired  out,  having  marched  twenty- 
one  miles,  when  the  couriers  came  galloping  down  the  road,  with 
the  word  that  the  rebels  had  attacked  the  rear  guard,  which  was 
some  five  miles  back.  There  were  two  regiments  in  the  rear  of 
the  train.  The  train  of  contrabands  was  four  or  five  miles  on. 
The  colonel,  fearing  disaster  in  the  rear,  ordered  the  52d  and  the 
9oth  New  York  to  '  right  face,  double  quick  march.'  We  had  to 
hurry  on  for  five  miles,  and  found  the  rebels  had  skedaddled 
before  we  got  there.  So  we  had  to  march  back  to  where  we 
started  from." 

(The  corporal  is  mistaken  in  supposing  that  Col.  Chickering 
was  needlessly  alarmed  at  the  approach  of  this  force  in  the  rear. 
It  turned  out  that  there  was  a  large  force  of  the  rebels  in  that 
region,  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  attack  our  force.) 

"About  twelve  o'clock  we  reached  the  place  we  had  started 
from,  hoping  for  a  little  rest,  for  we  had  already  marched  forty 
miles ;  but  we  did  not  get  it.  We  halted,  ate  a  little  hard-tack, 
and  fell  in  again  for  the  last  ten  miles  that  lay  between  us  and 
Brashear  City.  We  arrived  there  about  noon,  making  fifty  miles 
since  the  morning  before.  We  encamped  upon  the  ground,  and 
slept  nearly  twenty-four  hours ;  and,  when  I  awoke,  I  found  that  I 
was  quite  sick.  One  of  my  hips  and  knees  refused  to  navigate. 
I  do  not  know  what  the  trouble  is,  unless  it  is  rheumatism.  I 
cannot  walk,  but  am  in  good  quarters  in  New  Orleans,  where  I 
have  the  best  of  care.  There  are  about  seven  hundred  at  the 
hospital,  and  the  building  is  large  enough  for  more." 

T.  N.  Austin,  Co.  A,  kept  a  voluminous  journal  of  his  daily  ex 
perience. 

He  relates  this  characteristic  experience.  While  at  New  Iberia, 
a  squad  of  darkies  was  brought  in,  and  he  addressed  an  intelligent- 
looking  colored  woman,  and  asked,  "  Where  do  all  you  niggers 
come  from  ? "  She,  bristling  up,  called  out  to  the  man  in  charge 
of  the  squad,  and  said,  "Sir,  this  soger  calls  me  a  nigger!" 
"Well,"  says  Austin,  "what  are  you,  anyway?  What  should  I 
call  you  ?  "  "A  free  lady  of  color,"  she  replied  with  great  dignity. 


158  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

As  she  had  been  away  from  her  master's  house  less  than  forty- 
eight  hours,  Austin  thought  she  was  putting  on  airs.  This  New 
England  soul  was  much  grieved  to  find  that  at  New  Iberia  little 
regard  was  paid  to  the  Sunday, —  horse-races  and  the  like  in  the 
afternoon,  the  priest  taking  a  share  in  all  the  sports  and  deciding 
all  the  contests. 

While  our  men  were  at  New  Iberia,  trouble  occurred  between 
the  negroes  and  whites  at  St.  Martin,  a  village  ten  miles  away.  A 
call  was  made  upon  our  force  at  New  Iberia  for  aid ;  and  Capt. 
Stone,  of  Co.  F,  with  a  squad  of  thirty  men,  was  sent  to  St.  Martin 
to  secure  peace.  On  their  arrival  they  found  the  place  in  great 
excitement.  The  negroes  had  armed  themselves,  and  were  threat 
ening  the  inhabitants  with  all  manner  of  disasters.  The  citizens 
had  prepared  to  defend  themselves,  and  a  sharp  skirmish  had  oc 
curred,  in  which  the  whites  had  the  advantage,  and  secured  ten  of 
the  leaders  in  the  trouble.  These  they  took  to  the  bridge  over  the 
river,  pinioned  their  arms  and  legs,  placed  a  noose  around  the 
neck  of  each  one,  and  at  a  given  signal  strung  them  all  up  and  left 
them  dangling  in  the  air.  In  the  night  their  friends  came  and 
carried  their  bodies  away.  But  the  trouble  was  over.  Capt. 
Stone  stayed  till  he  saw  there  was  to  be  no  further  need  of  his 
services,  and  then  took  his  squad  back  to  New  Iberia. 


XVI. 

PORT    HUDSON    AND    CLINTON. 
[MAY  28  TO  JUNE  7,  1863  ] 

Col.  Greenleaf's  account :  — 

"On  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  May,  A.D.  1863,  the  52(^  Massa 
chusetts  was  moved  by  rail  from  •Brashear  City  on  the  Atchafalaya 
to  Algiers  on  the  Mississippi,  opposite  New  Orleans,  eighty-six 
miles  distant,  and  on  the  2Qth  and  3oth  was  transported  by 
steamer  to  Springfield  Landing,  thirteen  miles  from  our  division 
headquarters,  then  before  Port  Hudson,  and  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  miles  above  New  Orleans,  and  thence  completed  the 
march  to  headquarters  about  midnight  of  the  30th,  the  stupid 
guide  who  had  been  sent  from  the  front  to  escort  us  back  to  the 
second  brigade  having  lost  himself  and  led  us  several  long,  weary 
miles  out  of  our  way.  And  let  me  say  here,  by  way  of  commen 
tary  on  the  hardships  of  our  western  Louisiana  campaign,  now 
ended,  that,  if  there  are  any  modern  six  days'  go-as-you-please  walk 
ing  champions,  either  in  this  country  or  in  Europe,  who,  knowing 
the  facts,  would  prefer  these  terribly  exhausting  forced  marches 
through  the  Teche  country  and  back,  heretofore  described,  ending 
with  this  last  day  and  night  march  from  Springfield  Landing,  made 
under  the  same  circumstances  and  conditions  that  we  made  them, 
to  a  six  days'  contest  on  the  sawdust,  under  the  rules  of  the 
'trampers"  prize  ring,  I  would  be  charitable  enough  to  regard 
them,  one  and  all,  as  fit  candidates  for  some  well-regulated  lunatic 
asylum.  And  I  am  strong  in  the  faith  that  any  surviving  member 
of  the  regiment  who  made  these  marches  would  fully  indorse  the 
sentiment. 

"  But  we  were  joyfully  received  by  our  respected  brigade  com 
mander,  Col.  William  K.  Kimball,  of  the  i2th  Maine,  at  his  head 
quarters  in  the  woods  before  Port  Hudson,  and  heartily  welcomed 
back  to  our  former  place  in  the  line. 

"The  assault  by  Gen.  Banks  on  the  enemy's  works,  on  the  2yth 
of  May,  had  been  repulsed  with  considerable  loss  to  the  Union 
army,  in  which,  among  many  volunteer  white  troops,  was  a  bri 
gade  of  colored  soldiers  commanded  by  Col.  Nelson.  On  our 


160  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

march  from  the  Landing  to  the  front,  on  the  3oth,  we  met  many 
hospital  ambulance  wagons,  bringing  the  sick  and  wounded  to  the 
rear.  And  from  some  of  those  whom  we  met  we  learned  for  the 
first  time  of  the  wonderful  fighting  qualities  displayed  by  these 
negro  troops  during  the  said  assault  on  the  2yth  of  May.  The 
report  was  that 'they  fought  like  very  devils';  that  they  went 
into  the  fight  eight  hundred  strong  ;  that  they  made  six  or  seven 
splendid  charges  on  the  enemy's  works,  under  a  most  murderous 
fire,  and  at  last,  by  almost  superhuman  efforts,  succeeded  in  cross 
ing  the  wide  ditch  in  front  and  scaling  the  abatis ;  that,  once  in 
side  the  fortifications,  they  proceeded  forthwith  to  bayonet  the 
Confederate  gunners,  but,  in  their  martial  frenzy,  soon  threw  away 
their  guns,  seized  their  hated  foes  with  their  hands,  and  tore  their 
quivering  flesh  with  their  teeth  ;  but  that  they  were  finally  over 
powered  by  greatly  superior  numbers,  and  compelled  to  retreat, 
leaving  six  hundred  out  of  eight  hundred  of  their  numbers  dead 
in  the  trenches.  And  it  was  painfully  interesting  to  note  the 
effect  which  this  wonderful  tale  produced  on  different  individuals. 
One  man,  with  complaisant  look  and  self-satisfied  air,  would  stand 
a  little  more  erect  than  usual,  and  say :  *  I  told  you  so.  I  always 
knew  the  negro  would  make  a  far  better  soldier  than  the  white 
man."  Another  would  smile  incredulously  as  he  heard  the  marvel 
lous  story,  as  much  as  to  say :  '  Wait  until  you  learn  more  of  the 
facts  in  the  case  before  you  decide.  This  tale  smacks  too  much 
of  the  Oriental, —  sounds  quite  too  mythological  to  be  fully  be 
lieved  by  any  body.'  While  the  third  person  would,  perhaps,  in 
dulge  in  a  sneer  at  the  very  mention  of  a  negro  soldier,  and 
denounce  the  unofficial  report  as  a  base  fabrication,  designed  to 
mislead  the  public  in  the  interest  of  stay-at-home  politicians.  At 
the  proper  time  and  place,  in  the  course  of  this  narrative,  we  will 
give  the  actual  facts  as  to  this  report,  derived  from  official  sources. 

"  As  I  now  recall  the  distance,  I  should  say  it  was  from  one 
thousand  to  twelve  hundred  yards  from  our  new  camp  in  the 
woods  to  the  strong,  well-defended  earth-works  of  the  Confederate 
Gen.  Gardner  in  front,  glimpses  of  which  we  would  get  from  nu 
merous  openings  in  the  wood,  or  a  full  view  of  a  long  line  of  them 
from  many  of  the  tree-tops  or  from  the  western  edge  of  the 
woods. 

"  Batteries  of  the  i9th  Army  Corps  were  planted  at  different, 
well-chosen  points  along  our  own  front ;  and  between  them  and 
those  of  the  Confederate  general  in  the  invested  town  a  regular 


PORT    HUDSON    AND    CLINTON  l6l 

artillery  duel  was  kept  up  night  and  day.  Every  few  seconds, 
either  from  one  of  our  own  batteries  near  by  or  from  one  of  Gard 
ner's,  one  thousand  yards  or  so  away,  or  from  both,  we  hear  the 
report  of  one  gun  or  more,  '  from  morn  till  night,  and  from  night 
till  dewy  morn  again.'  Occasionally  an  ugly  shell  from  some  one 
of  the  enemy's  guns  bursts  over  our  heads  where  we  lie  encamped 
in  the  wood,  and  the  fragments  thereof  go  meandering  about 
among  the  boys  in  blue,  in  a  most  careless,  inconsiderate  manner. 
One  large  fragment  of  such  a  shell  which  'brought  up'  at  my  own 
feet  about  this  time  I  deliberately  seized  and  confiscated,  and 
now  possess  as  my  proud  and  only  trophy  of  the  war. 

"And  so  the  time  wears  on  until  the  yth  of  June,  1863,  when,  in 
consequence  of  an  engagement  a  few  miles  to  our  rear,  between  a 
body  of  our  own  cavalry,  commanded  by  the  dashing  young  Capt. 
Perkins,  and  a  considerable  force  of  mounted  rebels,  said  to  have 
been  commanded  by  Gen.  Mouton,  in  which  engagement  Capt. 
Perkins  was  killed  and  his  command  put  to  route,  a  force  of 
seven  thousand  strong, —  cavalry,  artillery,  and  infantry,  including 
the  52d  Massachusetts, —  commanded  by  Gen.  H.  E.  Paine,  was 
sent  out  to  capture  or  disperse  this  troublesome  brigade  of 
mounted  'gray-backs,'  as  they  were  sometimes  called. 

"About  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  yth  of  June  Gen.  Paine 
set  out  on  his  expedition  with  his  valiant  little  army,  to  give  battle 
to  the  aforesaid  'gray-backs,'  and  pursued  his  way  unmolested 
over  the  most  dusty  of  roads,  under  a  broiling  Southern  summer 
sun,  with  the  thermometer  among  the  nineties  in  the  shade,  with 
most  of  the  water  to  be  had  of  worse  quality  than  that  of  any  frog- 
pond  to  be  found  north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line,  to  the  pleas 
ant  country  village  of  Clinton,  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  from 
Port  Hudson,  where  we  rejoiced  to  learn  that  the  enemy  had 
kindly  and  considerately  concluded  to  disperse  without  fighting. 
At  any  rate,  we  failed  to  '  gobble '  him  or  even  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  backsides  of  him. 

'•'Then  we  countermarched  back  to  our  old  camp  in  the  woods, 
under  much  the  same  conditions  as  to  heat,  dust,  and  water  as 
those  under  which  we  suffered  so  much  in  the  march  to  Clinton. 
Not  a  '  foot  passenger '  in  the  whole  command  had  a  dry  thread  of 
cloth  about  him  on  the  march  either  way,  so  great  was  the  heat 
and  so  profuse  the  perspiration ;  nor,  indeed,  could  the  more  fortu 
nate  'mounted'  braves  of  the  command,  either  with  or  without 
shoulder-straps,  contrive  any  way  to  escape  the  scorching  rays  of  a 


162  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

June  sun  in  Louisiana,  to  avoid  the  suffocating,  ever-present  dust 
or  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  most  impure,  stagnant  water.  Al 
suffered  alike  in  these  respects;  and  the  52d  Regiment  in  particu 
lar 'rejoiced  and  was  exceeding  glad '  to  return  to  the  rest  anc 
shade  and  shelter  of  the  friendly  wood  before  Port  Hudson,  as  we 
did  on  the  afternoon  of  the  gth  of  June. 

"On  the  whole,  this  march  to  Clinton  and  back  was  one  of  the 
most  exhausting  to  the  soldier  (as  it  was  the  last)  of  our  campaign 
as  hard  to  endure  as  some  others  heretofore  described  had  been 
and  was  one  which  will  be  remembered,  I  venture  to  say,  so  lon£ 
as  a  single  member  of  the  regiment  who  was  *  present '  on  this 
march  shall  survive.  So  long  as  the  ears  of  the  last  survivor  shal 
be  able  to  distinguish  the  martial  notes  of  the  fife  and  drum  01 
his  eyes  discern  the  glorious  flag  under  which  he  then  marchec 
through  dust  and  smoke,  and  fire  and  flood,  and  battle  shocks,  tc 
victory  at  last,  among  his  most  vivid  recollections  will  be  that  ol 
the  march  to  Clinton." 

Daniel  W.  Lyman  in  the  Northampton  Gazette,  June  10  :  — 

"IN    THE    WOODS    BEFORE    PORT    HUDSON. 

"The  March  to  Clinton. —  The  regiment  left  here  on  Frida) 
morning  about  four  o'clock,  with  six  other  regiments  of  infantry, 
a  regiment  of  cavalry,  and  twelve  pieces  of  artillery,  under  com' 
mand  of  Gen.  Paine.  Owing  to  a  poor  guide,  we  marched  sev 
eral  miles  in  the  wrong  direction  ;  and,  by  the  time  we  had  gol 
fairly  started  on  the  right  road,  the  sun  had  come  out  burning  hot, 
and  the  men  were  overcome  by  the  terrible  heat  and  dust.  The 
heat  was  so  overpowering  that  the  men  could  not  march  in  the 
middle  of  the  day,  and  halted  till  six  o'clock,  when  the  order  was 
to  'fall  in,'  to  march  three  miles;  but  we  went  eight,  and  did  nol 
stop  until  after  eleven  at  night.  As  soon  as  it  was  light  we  were 
on  the  march,  and  kept  on  till  noon,  when  we  halted  close  by 
Amete  River,  a  clear  running  stream  with  a  gravelly  bottom,  the 
most  like  a  New  England  brook  we  have  seen  in  the  State  oi 
Louisiana.  At  midnight  we  were  aroused  again,  and  marched 
some  seven  miles  to  within  two  miles  of  Plympton,  where  we 
were  halted  for  a  short  time  till  the  destruction  of  the  armory, 
depot,  and  the  government  works  were  complete ;  and,  finding 
that  the  rebels  whom  we  had  come  out  to  attack  had  skedaddled, 
we  turned  about,  and  marched  back  in  the  burning  sun  to  the 
camp  ground  of  the  previous  day,  at  which  place  we  rested  till  six 


PORT    HUDSON    AND    CLINTON  163 

P.M.,  when  we  marched  again  for  over  three  hours.  By  daylight 
the  next  morning  we  were  again  on  our  way,  and  did  not  stop 
until  we  were  nearly  back  to  our  old  place.  Thus  ended  a  mem 
orable  march  from  Port  Hudson  to  Clinton  and  back,  as  bad,  if 
not  worse,  than  any  the  52d  had  made,  owing  to  the  excessive 
heat.  Hundreds  were  overcome  by  it." 

Corp.  Hosmer  writes  :  — 

"  Of  the  episode  to  Clinton  and  back  I  do  not  mean  to  write 
much,  for  you  have  had  enough  of  hard  marching.  Let  a  few 
words  suffice.  The  force,  consisting  of  regiments  detached  from 
this  and  that  brigade,  with  some  artillery,  a  large  body  of  cavalry, 
left  camp  here  in  the  forest  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
How  hot  and  dusty  it  grew  !  We  began  by  taking  the  wrong  road, 
which  gave  us  an  extra  distance  of  five  or  six  miles,  and  then  we 
went  by  the  longest  route.  The  first  day  at  noon  the  heat  became 
perfectly  intolerable.  Several  were  nearly  killed  by  its  power,  and 
we  were  forced  to  halt  till  night.  Thenceforth  we  marched  for  the 
most  part  at  night;  but  the  dust  was  excessive,  the  night  short,  and 
the  water  often  poor.  At  dawn  we  halted  within  two  or  three 
miles  of  Clinton,  to  hear  from  the  cavalry  in  the  advance  that  the 
foe  had  fled.  Back  we  came,  therefore,  dragging  wearily  into  our 
old  camp  through  all  the  dust  and  heat,  tired  in  every  bone,  every 
fibre,  clothing  soaked  and  resoaked  with  perspiration,  having  in 
the  course  of  four  days  gone  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles.'' 

June  20. —  Word  has  come  that  Niles,  of  Co.  I,  has  just  died  in 
the  hospital  at  Baton  Rouge.  He  had  a  "  bee  in  his  bonnet,"  but 
has  furnished  much  fun  for  the  regiment.  He  delighted  in  cutting 
down  the  big  trees  near  our  camp ;  and  the  crash  of  one  falling  to 
the  ground  gave  him  great  pleasure.  There  are  not  so  many  big 
trees  in  Louisiana  as  there  would  have  been  if  it  had  not  been  for 
Niles. 


XVII. 

BEFORE    PORT    HUDSON,   AND    THE   ASSAULT    ON    THE 
I4TH    OF   JUNE. 

Col.  Greenleaf's  account:  — 

"At  night  we  often  listen  to  the  discordant  shrieking  of  our 
own  shells,  as  they  go  plunging  through  the  air  in  the  direction  of 
the  doomed  town,  and  watch  the  effect  of  the  explosion  within 
the  beleaguered  works.  They  are  sounds  and  sights  never  to 
be  forgotten ;  better  heard  and  seen  than  described,—  at  least, 

by  me. 

"  Artillery  firing  on  our  side  still  continues  night  and  day,  at 
brief  intervals.  At  times  the  very  earth  is  made  to  quake  and 
tremble  at  the  discharge  of  monster  Dahlgren  guns,  a  battery  of 
which  has  been  brought  from  the  sloop  of  war  'Richmond,'  lying 
in  the  river  below,  manned  by  her  brave  sailors,  and  planted  not 

far  distant. 

"Gen.  Gardner  now  answers   our  fire   less  frequently   than    at 
first;  yet,  if  one  of  us  'Yanks'  ventures  into  the   open  field  in 
front  or  to  the  edge  of  the  wood  even,  he  at  once  becomes  a  tar 
get  for  rebel  sharpshooters  five  or  six  hundred  yards  away,  and 
their  leaden  slugs  come  humming  and  singing  about  our  ears  like 
busy  bees.     If  we  show  ourselves  in  any  opening  or  clearing  be 
tween  the  brown  earth  fortress  and  our  camp,  a  dozen  triggers  are 
pulled  on  us  at  once  ;  and  it  is  no  fault  of  the  'gray-back '  marks 
men  if  we  escape  unhurt.     But  all  this  is  only  a  prelude  — mere 
boy's  play  —  to  the  sanguinary  work  yet  to  come.     Gen.  Banks  is 
now  making  the  necessary  preparations  for  a  grand  assault  upon 
Gen.  Gardner's  formidable  works.     Three  strong  columns  are  to 
be  formed  to  storm  the  fortifications  at  as  many  different  points, 
one  column  to  be  commanded  by  Gen  Augur,  one  by  Gen.  Weitzel, 
and  the  other  by  Gen.  Dwight.     The  second  brigade  is  assigned  a 
place  in  the  central  column,  commanded  by  Gen.  Weitzel,  a  gradu 
ate  of  West  Point,— a  gentleman,  withal,  and  every  inch  a  soldier 
although,  in  form   and  size,  he  would  well  compare  with  the  late 
lamented    General-in-chief,    Winfield    Scott.       For   several    day< 
squads  of  men  have  been  employed  cutting  fascines  in  the  woods 


THE    ASSAULT   ON    THE    I4TH    OF   JUNE  165 

and  other  squads  preparing  small  bags  of  cotton,  all  to  be  used, 
as  such  things  are  generally  intended  to  be  used,  in  storming  the 
parapets.  Bridges  across  small  streams  or  ravines,  over  which  the 
attacking  force  is  to  pass,  are  covered  with  layers  of  cotton,  to 
deaden  the  sound  of  artillery  wheels  and  the  tramp  of  men  and 
beasts  as  they  pass  over,  and  every  man  unfit  for  duty  is  sent  to  the 
rear. 

"The  adjutant  of  the  regiment  (Lieut.  Decker,  formerly  lieuten 
ant  colonel  of  the  Massachusetts  loth),  one  of  the  most  faithful 
and  efficient  officers  in  the  service,  was  one  of  this  unfortunate 
number.  The  colonel  himself  escorted  him  to  the  hospital,  two  or 
three  miles  to  the  rear,  and  there  left  him  in  care  of  one  of  the 
surgeons. 

"  On  the  i3th  of  June  Gen.  Banks  issued  his  general  order  for 
the  grand  assault  to  be  made  on  the  following  day.  Soon  after  it 
was  issued  the  commanders  of  companies  were  assembled  to  hear 
the  general  order  read,  and  to  receive  such  special  regimental 
orders  as  the  occasion  required.  Each  commander  was  to  see  that 
his  men  were  furnished  with  water  and  rations  for  twenty-four 
hours,  and  to  caution  them  to  be  as  cool  and  deliberate  as  possible 
in  any  emergency  that  might  arise ;  not  to  shoot  at  random  nor 
too  high,  but  to  reserve  their  fire  until  they  could  do  some  execu 
tion  with  their  guns  ;  not  to  skulk  nor  seek  to  dodge  bullets  that 
would  come  whistling  about  them,  but  to  stand  by  their  colors  and 
face  whatever  dangers  might  confront  them,  like  brave,  loyal  men. 
The  colonel  little  knew  at  this  time  how  welcome  to  all,  himself 
included,  would  be  the  stumps  and  trunks  of  trees  and  rifle-pits 
on  the  field  of  battle  before  high  twelve  another  day !  With  that 
day's  duties  done,  and  with  most  keen  anticipations  of  still  more 
arduous  duties  on  the  morrow,  the  command  sought  rest  and  sleep 
at  an  early  hour.  A  short  time  before  midnight  Capt.  Long,  of 
the  color  company,  came  groping  his  way  through  the  wood  to 
regimental  headquarters,  having  left  the  hospital  in  the  rear  (where 
he  had  been  confined  some  days)  against  the  earnest  protest  of 
the  surgeon,  in  order,  as  he  said,  that  he  might  be  with  his  com 
pany  to  share  its  fortunes  in  the  hour  of  its  greatest  peril.  He 
spread  his  rubber  blanket  on  the  ground  beside  the  colonel,  and 
lay  down  for  an  hour's  rest, —  if  possible,  to  sleep.  Kind,  good, 
brave  friend  and  soldier,  he  survived  the  war;  but  now,  alas ! 

'"The  lightnings  may  flash,  and  the  loud  thunders  rattle, 
No  sound  shall  awake  him  to  glory  again  ! ' " 


j66  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

"  Soon  after  midnight  a  warm  breakfast  was  served  by  the 
cooks,  and  soon  after  breakfast  the  regiment  was  in  line,  awaiting 
orders  to  move  ;  and  we  had  not  long  to  wait. 

"  A  few  minutes  later  we  were  slowly  winding  our  way  out  of 
the  forest  by  the  right  flank,  but  halting  every  now  and  then,  to 
accommodate  the  column  in  front  and  rear.  Sometimes  we  halt 
a  few  minutes  in  front  of  artillery  or  cavalry  camps,  about  which 
breakfast  fires  had  been  built,  the  reflected  light  from  which,  on 
man  and  beast  and  wagon-wheels  and  trees,  and  polished  brass 
and  steel  of  many  guns,  contrasted  with  the  darkness  and  gloom 
of  the  night  and  wood,  reveals  a  sight  well  calculated  to  inspire 
the  brush  of  an  Angelo  or  the  pen  of  a  Byron  ;  and  then  again  we 
halt  in  places  dark,  of  which  a  Milton  only  could  truly  sing.  Many 
a  soldier  on  that  memorable  night  must  have  wished  himself  both 
painter  and  poet,  that  he  might  put  upon  canvas  in  enduring 
colors  or  upon  paper  in  enduring  ink  what  he  then  saw  and  felt. 
We  were  on  the  eve  of  a  great  battle.  No  soldier  could  tell  what 
might  befall  him  ere  another  sun  should  rise  and  set.  We  were 
anxious,  fearful,  hopeful,  yet  firmly  resolved  upon  our' duty. 

"At  daylight  we  emerge  from  the  forest,  and  enter  a  deep 
ravine  through  which  a  military  road  has  been  cut,  on  both  sides 
of  which  are  high  banks  that  command  a  full  view  of  the  Confeder 
ate  ramparts  to  be  stormed  by  our  column  ;  and,  as  we  wind  into 
this  road,  we  plainly  see  them  four  or  five  hundred  yards  away, 
although  the  crest  of  the  whole  line  is  shrouded  in  the  smoke  of 
fire-arms  incessantly  discharged  therefrom.  The  column  makes  a 
brief  halt  in  this  ravine.  Bullets  now  come  flying  over  our  heads 
thick  and  fast,  making  harsh,  discordant  music  for  our  ears,  fairly 
setting  our  teeth  on  edge ;  and  a  tremendous  cannonade  opens  all 
along  our  semicircular  line  of  batteries,  eight  or  ten  miles  in  ex 
tent,  and  is  answered  with  great  energy  and  spirit  by  the  enemy's 
shorter,  irregular  line  confronting  us.  It  is  one  continuous  roar 
of  artillery  along  the  two  opposing  lines,  mingled  with  the  inces 
sant  rattle  of  musketry  from  the  rebel  ramparts,  and  the  heavy, 
malignant  shrieking  of  murderous  shells  from  both  sides  as  they 
come  and  go,  tearing  through  the  air,  and  the  familiar  'thud'  and 
'crash'  as  they  strike  on  either  side.  One  man  in  Co.  C  is  killed 
by  a  rifle-ball,  notwithstanding  we  are  so  well  protected  by  the 
high  banks  of  the  ravine.  It  is  a  scene  calculated  to  try  the 
strongest  nerves,  to  test  the  most  chivalric  courage. 

"At  this  moment    our  brigade  commander  came  in  person  to 


THE    ASSAULT    ON    THE    I4TH    OF    JUNE  l6/ 

the  regimental  commander  to  communicate  to  him  an  order  that 
minute  received  from  Gen.  Weitzel  for  the  52d  Regiment  to  be 
temporarily  detached  from  the  brigade,  and,  as  an  independent 
command,  to  act  as  'flankers'  for  the  right  of  his  assaulting  col 
umn.  Whereupon  the  two  commanders  ascended  together  the 
steep  bank  on  the  right,  to  survey  the  field  lying  between  the  two 
contending  armies.  A  few  moments  were  sufficient  for  this  sur 
vey;  and  a  minute  later  the  regiment  was  filing  out  of  the  column 
by  the  left  flank,  up  the  precipitous  bank  on  the  right,  and  on  to 
the  open  field  above.  The  regiment  moved  a  little  more  than  its 
length  on  this  high  exposed  ground,  when  it  was  halted.  While 
marching  at  the  head  of  his  column  this  short  distance,  the  colonel 
was  eagerly  taking  in  the  situation,  and  forming  his  plan  of 
operations.  We  were  now  Hn  line  at  about  right  angles  with  the 
head  of  the  main  column  in  the  ravine,  facing  the  enemy  and  fully 
exposed  to  his  murderous  fire.  The  whole  plateau  is  commanded 
by  his  well-trained  batteries,  and  swept  by  a  constant  shower  of 
rifle-balls.  It  is  really  like  unto  a  leaden  hail.  The  surface  of 
the  ground  between  us  and  the  Confederate  lines  is  quite  irregular 
and  uneven,  and  much  of  it  covered  with  stumps  and  logs  and 
brambles  and  tops  of  fallen  trees  interlacing  each  other.  Over 
this  undulating  ground  and  these  numerous  obstructions  and 
under  this  venomous  fire,  we  must  make  our  way  to  the  front 
as  best  we  can  and  in  the  best  order  we  can.  We  must  discover 
and  dislodge,  or  report  to  Gen.  Weitzel,  any  foe  lying  in  ambush 
between  us  and  the  intrenchments  and  we  must  act  promptly. 
No  time  is  to  be  lost. 

"  If  we  would  avoid  great  loss  of  life  and  limb,  we  must  gain 
our  position  under  the  fortifications  in  the  quickest  time  possible, 
we  must  make  a  dash  for  the  front  while  those  hosts  of  'gray- 
backs  '  yonder  are  dividing  their  attentions  between  the  assaulting 
column,  now  moving,  and  our  much  less  formidable  line. 

"  The  moment  the  regiment  was  halted  and  had  faced  the  ram 
parts,  whence  came  such  showers  of  shot  and  shell,  the  order  was 
given  for  the  five  companies  on  the  left  (now  the  right)  to  deploy 
in  skirmish  line,  and  push  to  the  front  with  all  possible  haste, 
Lieut.  Col.  Storrs  to  command  the  right  of  the  line  and  Major 
Winn  the  left. 

"The  order  was  obeyed  as  promptly  as  given.  The  gallant 
command  dashed  forward  in  the  best  order  the  innumerable 
obstacles  would  permit,  and  had  soon  deployed  so  as  to  cover  a 


l68  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

front  of  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  In  the  mean  time  the  five  re 
maining  companies  are  held  in  reserve,  and  permitted  to  seek 
such  shelter  as  stumps  and  fallen  trees  and  the  ravine  near  by 
afforded. 

"  On,  on,  presses  our  line  of  brave  boys  in  blue,  in  spite  of  every 
obstacle  !  The  fire  to  which  they  are  exposed  grows  hotter  still 
as  they  advance;  and  they  avail  themselves  of  such  protection  as 
a  tangled  ravine  and  the  scattering  logs,  bushes,  and  stumps 
offer. 

"As  the  skirmish  line  advances,  the  reserves  are  ordered  up. 
Capt.  Bliss,  of  Co.  G,  an  efficient,  promising  young  officer,  is  car 
ried  off  the  field,  mortally  wounded.  Lieut.  Rice,  of  Co.  B,  an 
equally  meritorious  officer,  is  severely  wounded.  One  soldier  of 
the  reserves  is  struck  in  the  hand,  and  another  in  the  leg ;  and  our 
rank  and  file  are  killed  and  wounded  along  our  long  skirmish  line, 
in  uncertain  numbers.  We  wonder  how  those  brave  lads,  in  that 
long,  irregular  line,  can  live  at  all  in  such  a  'leaden  rain,'  under 
such  a  deadly  fire.  The  roar  of  cannon,  the  plunging,  shrieking, 
and  bursting  of  shells,  and  the  discharge  of  small  arms  are  continu 
ous  on  both  sides.  Soon  we  observe  that  the  assaulting  column 
is  checked  in  its  advance,  apparently  with  heavy  loss ;  but  our 
gallant  skirmishers,  under  the  immediate  direction  of  the  lieutenant 
colonel  and  major,  still  press  forward.  They  soon  gain  position 
within  pistol  range  of  the  entire  line  of  fortifications,  covering  a 
front  of  one-fourth  to  one-third  of  a  mile ;  and,  as  the  main  column 
does  not  advance,  they  now  halt,  dig  rifle-pits,  roll  up  logs,  utilize 
stumps,  pile  up  brush,  and  otherwise  protect  themselves  as  best 
they  can  from  further  loss.  And  from  this  poorly  sheltered,  ad 
vanced  position  'the  boys'  soon  silenced  the  enemy's  artillery  in 
their  front.  If  a  rebel  sharpshooter  shows  his  head  above  the 
ramparts  now,  he  does  so  at  his  peril.  But  it  is  now  apparent  that 
the  grand  assault  has  been  repulsed.  Artillery  firing  mainly  ceases. 
Only  sharp-shooters  on  both  sides  seem  to  be  busily  engaged; 
but  they  evidently  have  business  enough  on  hand,  particularly 
in  our  own  neighborhood.  About  this  time  our  most  anxious, 
perambulating  colonel  is  made  aware  of  the  fact  that  he  in  partic 
ular  has  become  an  object  of  considerable  interest, —  a  sort  of 
revolving,  moving  target  for  several  Confederate  gentlemen  of  that 
obnoxious  persuasion ;  and,  as  there  appears  to  be  no  further 
need  of  personal  exposure  on  his  part  just  now,  he  promptly  seeks 
out  a  good-sized  stump,  on  high,  commanding  ground,  extempor- 


THE    ASSAULT    ON    THE    I/J.TH    OF    JUNE  169 

izes  it  into  regimental  headquarters,  and  occupies  them  in  person 
without  formal  ceremony. 

"The  bullets  come  'thud,  thud,  thud,'  into  the  tough  old  stump, 
and  continue  to  'zip'  and  whistle  about  these  new  and  novel  yet 
strictly  'military'  headquarters,  until  the  sun  is  well  down  in  the 
west.  We  cannot  yet  move  to  bring  off  our  wounded  or  to  bury 
our  dead.  The  reserves  are  mostly  under  cover  a  short  distance 
to  the  rear ;  and  thus  we  remain  on  the  battle-field  until  the  fol 
lowing  morning.  As  was  necessary,  we  went  into  the  fight  in 
light  marching  order,  and  have  unavoidably  suffered  much  from 
want  of  our  blankets  during  the  damp,  chilly  night. 

"  Early  the  following  morning  the  assistant  adjutant-general  of 
the  brigade  came  upon  the  field,  dodging  from  stump  to  stump, 
and  stooping  and  running  from  one  fallen  tree-trunk  to  another, 
to  escape  the  bullets  of  some  scores  of  rebel  marksmen,  in  quest 
of  regimental  headquarters,  for  which  he  had  orders  from  the 
brigade  commander.  The  colonel  saw  the  assistant  adjutant-gen 
eral  approaching,  an(}  could  but  audibly  smile  to  see  him  ma 
noeuvre  under  fire,  but,  wishing  to  save  him  from  further  annoy 
ance  or  exposure,  stepped  briskly  back  some  distance  to  meet 
him.  The  orders  proved  to  be  congratulatory  to  the  regiment,  but 
required  us  to  hold  the  position  we  had  gained  under  the  breast 
works,  at  all  hazards,  until  further  orders,  and  to  remove  head 
quarters  to  the  rear,  where  communication  could  be  had  with  them 
without  so  much  risk  of  life  and  limb. 

"The  congratulatory  part  of  the  orders  was  duly  appreciated 
and  acknowledged,  the  importance  of  other  parts  fully  recognized, 
and  the  part  requiring  a  '  change  of  base '  for  the  regimental  com 
mander  obeyed  at  once  without  protest.  The  colonel  did  not 
deem  it  necessary  to  return  to  take  formal  leave  of  his  tempo 
rary  camp  behind  the  stump,  but  continued  his  reverse  move 
ment  to  the  edge,  or  brow,  of  the  plateau,  where,  in  plain  view  and 
within  range  of  the  parapets,  he  noticed  two  large  tree-trunks 
lying  one  upon  the  other,  which  together  were  about  breast-high, 
which  evidently  would  be  equal  to  stopping  rebel  bullets,  and 
which  furthermore  could  be  safely  approached  from  the  low  lands 
to  the  rear.  Behind  these  two  accommodating  tree-trunks,  he 
forthwith  established  his  new  headquarters,  and  caused  a  'shelter 
tent'  to  be  erected  over  them  to  keep  off  the  hot  rays  of  the  June 
sun. 

"  From  this  point  communications  could  be  had  with  our  cooks 


I70  HISTORY    OF   THE    520    REGIMENT 

(most  welcome  visitors  about  this  time),  with  our  hospitals,  both 
in  the  woods  and  one  some  miles  to  the  rear,  and  also,  after  dark, 
with  our  brave  lads  at  the  front.  But  so  exposed  is  the  position  of 
the  latter,  so  near  the  fortifications  are  they,  and  so  exposed  also 
the  only  route  to  them,  that  we  can  only  send  them  rations  or 
relieve  them,  or  bring  out  their  sick  and  wounded  or  bury  their 
dead,  under  cover  of  the  night. 

"We  now  learn  that  our  skirmish  line  gained  its  position  in 
front  with  small  loss,  considering  the  terrible  fire  to  which  it  was 
exposed,  but  that  all  three  of  the  grand  assaulting  columns  had 
been  repulsed  with  heavy  loss,— with  a  loss,  according  to  reports, 
of  about  fifteen  hundred  killed  and  wounded  ;  that  the  assault,  on 
the  whole,  had  amounted  to  but  little  ;  that  early  in  the  day  many 
soldiers  were  severely  wounded,  and  fell  in  such  exposed  places 
that  they  could  not  be  brought  off  the  field  until  night ;  and  that 
among  this  unfortunate  number  was  the  courteous  and  gallant 
Gen.  Paine,  who  commanded  the  late  expedition  to  Clinton.  As 
soon  as  it  was  fairly  dark  the  night  of  the  i5th,  the  'reserves'  still 
on  the  field  were  ordered  off,  back  into  the  woods  near  by,  and 
preparations  made  to  take  rations  and  blankets  to  the  boys  in 
front ;  and  the  following  night  the  reserves  went  to  the  front,  and 
relieved  those  on  duty  there,  with  the  exception  of  Co.  F,  Capt. 
Stone  preferring  to  remain  in  the  trenches,  manfully,  heroically 
performing  his  duty  to  the  end. 

"  Every  two  or  three  nights  those  on  duty  in  the  rifle-pits  were 
relieved  by  those  off  duty  in  the  rear;  and  so  the  exhausting, 
perilous  work  went  on  from  the  i4th  of  June  to  the  8th  of  July,-— 
three  weeks  and  over. 

"We  have  nearly  silenced  Gardner's  batteries  along  our  line, 
one  fourth  of  a  mile  long,  from  the  first  day ;  but  his  well-educated 
sharpshooters  still  continue  a  careless,  lively  host.  If  one  of  our 
boys  ventures  to  show  his  head  anywhere  along  this  line  during 
daylight,  a  well-aimed  bullet  is  almost  certain  to  go  crashing 
through  his  brain  on  the  instant.  And  it  is  the  same  with  those 
hungry-looking  'butternut'  fellows  inside.  If  one  of  them  shows 
himself  or  his  head  above  the  ramparts,  it  is  generally  the  last 
time  he  does  it :  a  ball  from  a  Springfield  musket  is  almost  certain 
to  make  sad  havoc  with  him  before  he  can  change  position.  Keen 
eyes  are  looking  along  many  a  rifle-barrel  thrust  between  sand 
bags,  on  the  one  side,  and  through  loop-holes,  on  the  other,  with 
trained  fingers  on  the  trigger  ready  to  send  death  messengers  on 


THE   ASSAULT    ON    THE    I4TH    OF    JUNE  17 1 

their  quick  errands  at  every  opportunity;  and  the  exchange  of 
shots  is  frequent  along  the  whole  line.  Our  artillery  still  con 
tinues  to  play  on  Gardner's  works  at  irregular  intervals  night  and 
day;  and  we  consequently  still  continue  to  hear  the  familiar  sound 
of  Parrott  shells  as  they  rush,  comet-like,  from  our  lines,  and  strike 
and  explode  within  his. 

"  But,  as  we  failed  to  carry  Port  Hudson  by  assault,  Gen. 
Banks  now  determines  to  reduce  the  place  by  regular  siege 
operations, —  by  the  slow  process  of  sapping  and  mining, —  follow 
ing  the  example  of  Grant  at  Vicksburg.  Zigzag  saps,  or  deep 
trenches,  were  accordingly  started  by  our  engineers  from  secure 
points  several  hundred  yards  away  from  the  stronghold,  and 
pushed  clay  and  night  with  great  vigor  in  the  direction  thereof. 

"  Negro  soldiers,  especially,  were  employed  on  this  important 
work ;  and  I  can  bear  testimony  to  the  fact  that  in  this  they  ren 
dered  splendid  service. 

"  About  this  time  we  began  to  receive  newspapers  from  the 
North ;  and  among  them  I  remember  particularly  the  New  York 
Herald,  containing,  among  other  articles  of  interest,  detailed  ac 
counts  of  the  alleged  wonderful  performances  of  these  same  negro 
soldiers  during  the  assault  made  on  the  2yth  of  May,  which 
amounted  to  much  the  same  story  we  had  heard  on  the  march 
from  Springfield  Landing,  previously  mentioned.  We  resolve  that 
we  will  ascertain  the  facts  as  to  this  matter ;  but  the  time  is  not 
yet :  we  must  first  push  this  siege  to  a  successful  issue." 


BATON  ROUGE,  June  8,  1863. 

My  dear  Wife, —  I  am  again  at  the  old  place.  I  came  from 
New  Orleans  on  Friday.  When  I  reached  here,  I  heard  that  the 
52d  had  been  ordered  from  Port  Hudson  to  Clinton.  There  is  no 
use  to  go  on  to  Port  Hudson,  for  the  52d  is  not  there.  So  I  stop 
here,  and  spend  the  two  days  in  visiting  the  multitudes  at  the 
hospitals.  I  shall  go  on  this  morning  as  far  as  Springfield  Land 
ing,  four  or  five  miles  this  side  of  Port  Hudson.  Things  are  evi 
dently  approaching  a  crisis.  Our  forces  have  been  planting  big 
guns,  and  are  ready  to  open  with  them.  It  is  to  be  a  regular 
siege,  and  I  hope  not  a  long  one.  I  have  slept  here  on  the  piazza 
of  Lieut.  Stearns's  house;  and  the  whole  house  shakes  with  the 
tremendous  firing  at  Port  Hudson,  twenty  miles  away.  I  cannot 
but  believe  that  Port  Hudson  will  be  ours  in  a  few  days,  and  then 


172  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

probably  we  shall  be  pushed  on  up  to  Vicksburg ;  but  it  is  of  no 
use  to  speculate.  I  saw  crowds  of  wounded  men  yesterday 
brought  down  from  the  assault  at  Port  Hudson. 

Full  of  hope,  I  am  yours, 


JUNE  9. 

My  dear  Wife, —  We  are  in  the  midst  of  busy  and  exciting 
scenes.  I  am  here  at  Springfield  Landing,  sixteen  miles  above 
Baton  Rouge.  The  underbrush  has  been  cleared  away,  tents 
pitched,  and  it  looks  like  an  extensive  picnic-ground, —  a  forest  of 
trees  on  every  side,  by  the  bank  of  the  river.  It  is  the  base  of 
operations  upon  Port  Hudson.  Here  stores  are  brought,  here  the 
sick  and  wounded  are  put  on  board  steamers,  and  carried  below 
to  Baton  Rouge  and  New  Orleans.  I  have  had  a  cordial  greeting 
here  from  a  lot  of  52d  boys  who  are  in  the  hospital.  I  hear  all 
manner  of  stories  about  a  big  fight  at  Port  Hudson  on  the  2yth 
ult.  Our  men  made  an  assault,  and  were  repulsed  with  a  terrible 
loss.  Hosmer  is  here,  doing  grand  service  as  nurse  to  a  multitude 
of  men.  Some  of  our  regiments  went  quite  near  the  breast-works. 
Our  men  have  been  busy  planting  heavy  siege  guns,  and  it  is  said 
to-day  is  the  time  to  open  with  them.  If  so,  we  shall  have  lively 
times.  The  chances  are  now  that  we  are  to  have  a  terrible  battle 
in  a  few  days.  I  hope  it  will  be  confined  to  the  artillery,  and  that 
no  assault  will  be  made.  You  may  judge  that  I  am  well,  better  by 
far  than  before  I  went  to  New  Orleans.  I  am  full  of  hope,  and 
yet  not  without  anxiety.  Unless  the  signs  fail,  there  is  to  be  a 
bloody  battle  —  one  of  the  decisive  battles  of  the  war  —  fought 
within  twenty-four  hours  of  this  time.  So  far  as  I  can  judge,  the 
preparations  are  made  ;  and  to-morrow  the  attempt  will  be  made 
for  the  third  time  to  get  possession  of  this  stronghold  of  the 
rebellion. 

To  my  wife  :  — 

IN  FRONT  OF  PORT  HUDSON. 

I  left  Springfield  Landing  on  the  Qth,  with  a  mail  in  an  army 
wagon  drawn  by  four  mules.  We  had  to  make  a  detour  twelve  or 
fourteen  miles,  in  order  to  get  on  the  other  side  of  Port  Hudson. 
We  hear  the  booming  of  cannon  on  our  left  all  the  way.  We 
pass  ten  rebel  outworks  which  we  had  carried  at  the  fight  the 


THE   ASSAULT   ON    THE    I4TH    OF    JUNE  173 

week  before  last.  I  reached  here  in  the  afternoon,  and  had  a 
cordial  greeting  from  the  boys.  I  found  I  had  good  reason  to 
bless  the  men  who  invented  diarrhoea,  as  Sancho  Panza  had  to 
bless  the  man  who  invented  sleep.  First,  it  saved  me  the  long 
tramp  from  Barre's  Landing  to  Brashear  City;  and,  second,  it 
saved  me  the  hard  tramp  from  here  to  Clinton,  the  hardest  march 
the  52d  have  had,  as  we  have  said  of  all  previous  marches.  It 
used  up  the  boys  fearfully.  On  the  staff  Dr.  Richardson  was  the 
only  one  to  report  present.  The  men  had  long  stories  to  tell  me 
of  their  perils  before  they  went  to  Clinton.  They  devoted  their 
nights  to  dodging  shells  which  the  rebels  threw  at  them.  On  their 
return  from  Clinton  they  encamped  on  the  rear  of  their  old 
ground,  a  little  more  out  of  the  way  of  the  rebel  guns.  Still  a 
preference  was  always  given  for  the  north  side  of  a  tree  for  a  lodg 
ing-place.  A  good  tree  was  assigned  to  me,  as  likely  to  break  the 
force  of  a  shell  as  anything  that  could  be  found.  My  couch  was 
made  there,  which  consisted  in  spreading  my  poncho  on  the 
ground,  and  putting  a  mail-bag  under  my  head  for  a  pillow.  Did 
I  sleep  ?  Not  very  well.  How  could  I  ?  Boom  !  would  go  the 
big  siege  guns  off  to  the  east.  That  would  startle  me  in  spite  of 
myself.  Boom  !  boom  !  would  go  their  guns  in  different  parts  of 
the  line.  I  could  look  up  through  the  trees,  and  see  a  few  stars 
looking  quietly  down  upon  me.  They  would  let  me  sleep,  but  the 
villanous  gunpowder  the  rebs  were  burning  would  not.  Early  in 
the  morning  Capt.  Long's  darky,  Frank,  came  to  ask  me  to  go  with 
him  and  see  the  captain.  We  found  him  at  brigade  headquarters, 
not  a  very  elaborate  edifice,  but  a  yard  with  a  brush  fence  around 
it.  The  captain  was  on  the  ground,  not  very  sick.  He  wanted  I 
should  take  care  of  Frank  for  a  while.  I  agreed  to  use  him  as 
cook.  My  darky,  Sam  Howard,  enlisted  at  Brashear  City,  so  I 
have  lost  him.  After  breakfast  I  went  with  the  colonel  to  the 
front  to  see  the  rebel  works,  and  see  our  preparations  to  shell 
them  out.  The  works  on  both  sides  are  very  formidable.  I  did 
little  more  than  take  a  glimpse,  as  I  did  not  want  to  offer  myself 
as  a  useless  mark  for  the  sharpshooters.  My  classmate  Rodman 
the  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  38th  Massachusetts,  was  killed  by  a 
sharpshooter  at  this  very  spot  a  few  days  ago.  The  ground  about 
here  is  heavily  wooded,  and  very  much  broken  by  ravines.  The 
woods  are  full  of  rifle-pits,  fallen  trees,  etc.,  which  the  rebels  had 
prepared  as  places  of  concealment  from  which'  their  sharpshooters 
could  pop  off  our  men. 


174  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

SATURDAY  EVENING,  June  13. 

The  decisive  hour  draws  near,  the  cannonading  grows  more 
severe  hourly,  and  the  fearful  struggle  will  take  place  between  now 
and  to-morrow  at  this  time.  When  you  go  quietly  to  church  to 
morrow  morning,  we  shall  be —  It  is  fearful  to  contemplate.  I 
mean  to  keep  calm,  but  I  cannot  write.  I  hope  and  pray  the  52d 
will  do  their  share,  and  that  we  may  be  successful.  Heaven  grant 
it  may  be  with  little  loss  of  life  ! 

Hopefully,  but  anxiously, 


To  my  wife  :  — 

An  assault  is  to  be  made  Sunday  morning.  Before  dark  we 
were  ordered  into  line.  Each  captain  makes  a  little  speech  to  his 
men.  In  view  of  the  immediate  result,  I  quote  that  of  Capt.  Bliss 
to  his  men:  "To-morrow  you  will  be  ordered  into  battle.  Let 
every  man  do  his  duty.  There  must  be  no  skulkers.  A  dead 
brave  man  is  better  than  a  living  coward."  At  midnight  the  cooks 
came  with  coffee  and  food ;  and  soon  after  came  the  order  to 
move.  I  stood  around  till  they  were  all  gone,  then  lay  down 
under  a  tree,  and  was  soon  asleep.  The  rapid  and  heavy  firing  at 
daylight  aroused  me,  and  I  started  to  find  Dr.  Richardson.  With 
him  I  was  to  spend  the  time.  He  had  been  ordered  to  the  ex 
treme  right.  With  difficulty  I  found  him,  in  a  little  oven  just  by 
one  of  our  heavy  batteries,  the  bullets  falling  over  us,  though  we 
were  partially  protected  by  the  top  of  the  cave  where  he  was  to 
stop ;  but  the  stench  from  some  half-buried  men  killed  in  the  pre 
vious  assault  was  almost  intolerable.  Nothing  was  provided  for 
the  doctor's  use.  He  thought  there  must  be  some  mistake  about 
his  being  ordered  there.  I  offered  to  look  up  the  medical  director, 
and  ascertain  where  he  was  expected  to  be.  The  battle  then  was 
at  its  utmost  fury.  Several  batteries  were  pouring  in  large  shot 
and  shell,  and  the  musketry  kept  up  an  unceasing  rattle.  We 
were  confident  all  was  going  well.  Presently  I  found  my  horse, 
and  dashed  along,  the  bullets  flying  threateningly  about  me.  I 
found  the  medical  director,  and  learned  that  Dr.  Richardson  was 
where  he  was  expected  to  be,  and  where  he  stayed  till  Thursday 
night,  with  nothing  whatever  to  do;  but  it  made  him  sick.  I  won 
der  it  did  not  kill  him.  I  returned  with  my  report  to  the  doctor; 
and,  as  no  wounded  men  were  brought  that  way,  I  was  persuaded 
that  they  must  be  carried  out  the  other  way.  So,  mounting  Dolly, 


THE    ASSAULT    ON    THE    14TH    OF    JUNE  175 

I  rode  to  the  centre,  with  bullets  flying  every  moment.  Leaving 
Dolly  in  a  safe  place,  I  entered  the  first  hospital,  which  was  simply 
a  large  enclosure,  cleared  of  underbrush,  in  the  woods.  They 
were  bringing  in  the  wounded  very  rapidly.  On  the  operator's 
table  I  recognized  Fred  Sanderson,  of  Petersham,  under  the  in 
fluence  of  chloroform,  losing  an  arm.  I  saw  at  once  that  it  was 
Emory's  division  hospital  I  soon  found  Grover's, —  another  large 
enclosure  in  the  woods.  Capt.  Bliss  was  soon  brought  in,  mortally 
wounded.  Presently  Sergt.  Belden,  Co.  D,  was  brought  in, —  a 
severe  flesh  wound  in  the  hip.  The  eight  doctors  were  all  busy 
at  the  four  operating  tables  :  both  of  our  surgeons  were  away, — 
Dr.  Sawyer  sick  in  the  hospital.  So  I  got  water  and  bandages,  and 
dressed  Belden's  wound  as  well  as  I  could.  In  a  pause  I  looked 
at  my  watch,  thinking  it  must  be  almost  noon,  and  found  it  was 
but  half-past  seven.  I  worked  on  for  hours,  and  saw  more  hor 
rible  sights  than  ever  before ;  then,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  went 
to  the  cooks'  tents  in  the  rear,  and  got  a  dinner  of  fried  fat  pork ; 
then  back  to  bathe  and  dress  wounds  till  night ;  and  then  back 
to  my  camp  at  sundown,  and  lay  down  under  a  tree,  and  slept 
soundly  till  morning.  The  next  day  I  was  very  tired,  completely 
prostrated.  Men  continued  to  be  brought  in  wounded  every  little 
while.  Among  others,  Bennett,  Co.  K,  whom  you  will  remember. 
In  the  mean  time  the  siege  goes  on.  Our  regiment  has  been  close 
up  at  front,  where  the  battle  was  fought  on  Sunday,  and  remained 
there  till  Friday  night,  where  they  are  concealed  by  logs  and 
stumps,  unable  to  raise  their  heads  without  having  rebel  bullets 
hurled  at  them.  They  suffer  fearfully  from  the  heat,  to  which 
they  are  exposed  by  day,  and  to  the  cold  by  night.  If  a  rebel  head 
appears  above  the  parapet,  the  boys  try  to  hit  it.  Pat  Conoly 
fired  from  behind  a  bush  in  that  way,  and,  in  his  eagerness  to  see 
what  the  result  had  been,  popped  up  for  an  instant,  and  thus  ex 
posed  his  head,  and  in  another  instant  was  struck  dead. 

Assistant  Adjt.-Gen.  Irwin,  in  his  History  of  the  iQth  Army 
Corps,  makes  this  report  of  the  assault  on  the  i4th  of  June:  — 

"  The  result  of  the  day  may  be  summed  up  as  a  bloody  repulse. 
Beholding  the  death  and  maiming  of  so  many  of  the  bravest  and 
best  of  the  officers  and  men,  the  repulse  may  be  even  deemed  a 
disaster.  In  the  whole  service  of  the  igth  Army  Corps  darkness 
never  shut  in  upon  a  gloomier  field.  Men  went  about  their  work 
in  a  silence  stronger  than  words.  On  this  day  21  officers  and 
182  men  were  killed,  72  officers  and  1,245  men  were  wounded,  6 


176  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

officers  and  180  men  missing:  besides  these  13  were  reported  as 
killed,  84  as  wounded,  and  2  missing,  without  distinguishing  be 
tween  officers  and  men,  thus  making  a  total  of  216  killed,  1,401 
wounded,  188  missing, —  in  all  1,805.  Among  the  wounded,  many 
received  mortal  hurts ;  while,  of  the  missing,  many  must  be  set 
down  as  killed." 


XVIII. 

PORT    HUDSON. 
[JUNE  18  TO  JULY  9,  1863.] 

To  Mrs.  Moors,  June  18  :  — 

Thursday  P.M. —  There  is  a  cessation  of  firing  for  a  while,  and 
a  truce  in  order  to  bury  the  dead.  The  rebels  have  brought  in  one 
hundred  and  forty  dead  bodies  for  us  to  bury.  Co.  D  buried  one 
hundred  and  fourteea. 

Sunday  morning. —  In  three  weeks  we  ought  to  be  at  home  ;  but 
there  are  very  few  signs  of  going.  I  do  not  see  how  we  can  be 
spared.  Banks  is  in  a  very  tight  place, —  an  unconquered  fort  in 
front  and  a  large  rebel  force,  we  hear,  in  his  rear;  communications 
with  New  Orleans  cut  off;  the  army  largely  disquieted,  as  many 
feel  that  their  time  of  service  is  out.  I  am  living  pretty  well,  con 
sidering.  I  get  good  pickles  and  dried  apples,  and  they  help  the 
hard-tack  wonderfully.  I  find  that  I  am  growing  very  poor,  and  a 
chair  would  be  as  much  of  a  luxury  as  anything.  No  chair,  table, 
or  bed  do  we  have.  I  was  going  to  tell  you  what  kept  me  busy  a 
portion  of  each  day,  but,  on  the  whole,  conclude  to  keep  that  till 
I  get  home,  to  tell  you  privately.  Have  I  told  you  that  Capt. 
Long  left  the  hospital  the  night  before  the  assault,  in  .order  that 
he  might  lead  his  men  ?  He  has  been  with  his  company  ever 
since.  I  am  ragged  now  beyond  all  power  of  imagination.  The 
only  consolation  is  that  I  am  even  less  so  than  most.  As  long  as 
the  skirt  of  my  coat  holds  on,  I  can  cover  a  portion  of  my  rags. 
So  long  as  I  am  well,  I  shall  be  in  good  cheer  and  hope.  We 
have  had  six  men  killed  within  a  few  days,  and  a  great  many 
wounded.  Our  recent  losses  are  these  killed  :  Gould,  Co.  C  ;  Noah 
Baker,  Co.  E  •  Daniel  Lyman,  Co.  K ;  Pat  Conoly,  Co.  B ;  James 
Foster,  Co.  F.  Wounded :  Capt.  Bliss,  mortally ;  Whitcomb,  H. 
Wells,  Co.  A;  Lieut.  Rice,  Call,  Co.  B;  J.  Bailey,  Co.  C;  Belden,, 
Smith,  Co.  D;  Brayman,  Co.  E,  mortally;  Davis,  Co.  E;  Miller,. 
Co.  G ;  Cook,  Co.  H  ;  Bennett,  Co.  K,  mortally.  The  wonder  is 
why  that  assault  was  made  on  Sunday.  No  one  can  tell  why. 
We  only  know  that  we  were  marched  up  to  the  rebel  breastworks 


178  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

on  Sunday,  and  were  driven  back  with  fearful  slaughter.  What 
an  excitement  we  have  had!  What  horrors!  I  shall  not  attempt 
to  write  them ;  and,  when  I  get  home,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  tell 
them.  The  52d  behaved  splendidly,  and  that  they  did  not  suffer 
more  is  a  mystery  to  us  all. 

Pat  Conoly  was  made  very  happy  by  his  two  letters,  which  he 
received  on  Saturday,  and  went  through  the  assault  on  Sunday  all 
right,  but  on  Monday  fired  once  too  much.  The  place  was  ob 
served  by  the  rebels,  and  a  ball  struck  him  in  the  head  and  killed 
him  instantly.  He  was  buried  where  he  fell.  A  warm-hearted, 
kindly,  affectionate  fellow,  without  a  friend  in  the  world.  I  am 
sorry  to  lose  him.  Capt.  Bliss  was  shot  through  the  lungs  on  Sun 
day.  I  stayed  in  the  field  hospital  just  in  the  rear  of  our  army  all 
day,  and  helped  take  care  of  the  poor  fellows.  I  dressed  the 
wounds,  and  saw  more  awful  sights  than  I  ever  dreamed  of  before. 
So  far  as  we  can  judge,  nothing  was  accomplished, —  only  the  loss 
of  more  than  one  thousand  men,  killed  and  wounded,  and  a  sad 
discouragement  to  the  living.  Our  prospect  of  success  now  is  very 
small.  Yet  another  attempt  of  desperation  will  be  made  in  a  day 
or  two.  The  52d  are  in  an  exposed  position.  They  are  hid  in 
ravines  and  behind  logs  and  stumps  close  up  under  the  enemy's 
breastworks,  where  they  cannot  get  out  by  day,  nor  even  show 
their  heads  nor  walk  a  step  in  an  upright  position.  I  want  you  to 
know  that  I  am  quite  well,  eat  well,  sleep  well,  notwithstanding 
the  horrors  around  me.  This  defeat  will  delay  our  return  home. 
I  fear  we  shall  not  see  the  inside  of  Port  Hudson  this  summer- 
Capt.  Bliss  died  at  eight  o'clock  last  evening, —  a  handsome,  prom, 
ising  fellow  and  a  first-rate  soldier.  I  hear  that  Mason  Moody 
has  been  sent  down  the  river,  worn  out  and  needing  rest.  He  is 
one  of  the  victims  of  the  Clinton  march.  In  the  evening  the  firing 
of  the  big  guns  becomes  faster  and  more  furious,  so  much  so  as 
to  attract  our  attention  ;  for  we  know  not  much  about  it  ordi 
narily.  If  I  should  be  asked  this  moment  if  the  firing  had  been 
continued  this  afternoon,  I  should  reply,  "  I  really  do  not  know :  I 
have  not  observed," — so  careless  do  we  get  about  such  things. 
When  we  get  up  in  the  morning,  we  ask  some  one  how  the  firing 
has  been  through  the  night,  and  more  likely  than  not  he  cannot 
tell  anything  about  it.  Assaults  have  failed.  So  a  regular  siege 
is  now  in  order.  Seven  hundred  heavy  guns  are  said  to  be  in 
position  to  bear  on  Port  Hudson.  About  one  o'clock  this  morn 
ing  the  sound  of  heavy  guns  was  so  great  that  they  could  not  be 


PORT    HUDSON  179 

distinguished.  It  was  a  continuous  roar.  Then  the  small  arms 
began  to  mingle.  About  two  o'clock  it  was  fearful  and  grand. 
Our  regiment  was  quite  up,  and  stood  in  line  of  battle ;  but  after 
a  while  an  order  came  to  lie  down  where  we  were.  The  firing 
slackened,  and  a  thunder  shower  took  its  place.  I  returned  to  my 
tree ;  and,  as  I  listened  to  the  grand  majestic  roll  of  the  thunder, 
I  confess  I  liked  it  better  than  the  artillery.  I  dropped  asleep, 
and  was  awakened  by  the  rain  falling  on  my  face.  I  could  only 
draw  my  poncho  about  me,  and  sit  up  and  take  it.  Yesterday  was 
a  dreary  day,  wet  and  drizzling,  with  frequent  showers.  I  took  a 
mail  to  Gen.  Grover's  headquarters,  and  got  lost  on  my  way  back. 
I  had  a  long  but  pleasant  walk  through  the  woods.  I  was  care 
ful  to  keep  out  of  range  of  the  rebel  muskets.  Our  big  guns 
boomed  away  all  day.  The  mystery  with  us  is  why  the  rebels  do 
not  fire  their  big  guns.  All  manner  of  explanations  suggest  them 
selves.  They  are  out  of  powder,  they  are  out  of  percussion  caps, 
they  are  coaxing  us  to  another  assault,  are  among  the  solutions. 
It  turns  out  at  last  that  we  have  silenced  all  their  big  guns.  The 
siege  goes  on.  Nothing  to  mark  any  changes.  Our  regiment  is 
quite  up  in  front,  so  that  our  siege  guns  in  the  rear  are  fired  over 
our  heads.  Yesterday  one  of  our  shells  fell  short  of  the  mark, 
and  dropped  among  Co.  K  men,  and  mortally  wounded  Sergt. 
Bennett.  Some  of  us  officers  crawled  in  behind  a  log  and  lay 
there,  while  the  rebels,  evidently  knowing  that  we  were  there, 
though  none  of  our  heads  came  above  the  log,  peppered  the  other 
side  of  the  log  quite  briskly.  We  lay  there  a  long  time.  What 
do  you  think  we  busied  ourselves  about  ?  Well,  we  were  discuss 
ing  what  minor  poems  in  the  English  language  had  the  most 
merit,  and,  on  the  whole,  were  our  favorites.  Gray's  "  Elegy," 
Bryant's  " Thanatopsis,"  Wordsworth's  "Ode  to  Immortality," 
Poe's  "  Raven,"  Goldsmith's  "  Deserted  Village,"  among  others, 
were  considered. 

I  am  still  here  in  the  rear ;  for  here  are  our  hospital  stores  and 
the  doctor's  quarters,  and  here  are  the  sick  and  used  up  men. 
Some  twenty  are  lying  upon  the  ground,  stretched  upon  their 
rubber  blankets,  with  their  knapsacks  under  them.  The  first 
thing  every  morning  for  me  is  to  go  and  roll  those  twenty  men 
over,  readjust  the  knapsacks  under  their  heads,  get  a  little  gruel, 
if  I  can,  for  them ;  and  the  operation  has  to  be  repeated  two  or 
three  times  a  day.  Of  course,  I  have  to  get  down  to  them  on  their 
blankets  to  roll  them  over.  If  I  have  secured  some  inhabitants 


l8o  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

of  those  blankets,  it  is  not  strange ;  but  the  first  thing  after  this 
service  is  to  examine  my  apparel,  and  get  rid  of  the  superfluous 
inhabitants. 

My  mind  goes  back  often  to  that  fearful  assault  on  Sunday.  It 
was  on  as  rough  a  piece  of  ground  as  can  be  imagined.  It  is 
naturally  very  uneven,  cut  by  deep  ravines.  A  year  ago  it  was 
well  wooded,  but  the  trees  were  cut  down,  and  so  felled  as  to 
obstruct  the  approach  of  an  assaulting  army.  These  trees  make 
a  perfect  jungle,  through  which  it  is  almost  impossible  to  make 
one's  way ;  and  through  this  tangle  of  brush,  logs,  and  vines,  the 
assault  was  made.  The  repulse  was  most  entire  and  complete. 
A  few  regiments  reached  the  foot  of  the  entrenchments,  and  a  few 
ascended  the  embankment.  I  was  too  busy  myself  in  the  work  of 
the  hospital  to  see  much  of  the  fighting. 

Life  is  monotonous  enough  here.  It  is  like  living  in  a  perpetual 
thunder-storm.  Cannon  and  mortars  are  booming  away  by  day 
and  by  night.  We  do  not  notice  the  racket  very  much.  The 
rebels  are  cracking  at  us  with  rifles ;  and,  when  a  hat  with  a  head 
in  it  is  seen  above  the  stumps  and  logs,  it  is  sure  to  be  hit.  Our 
people  are  now  sapping  with  all  their  might;  that  is,  digging  a 
protective  wall  parallel  with  the  rebel  works.  They  push  forward 
cotton  bales,  and  work  behind  them,  and  place  fascines  and  hogs 
heads  filled  with  cotton  on  the  side  next  the  rebels  I  was  in- 
there  yesterday,  where  the  men  were  at  work  within  fifteen  yards 
of  the  rebel  fortifications.  Our  men  throw  hard-tack  over  to  the 
rebels  for  fun  ;  and  they  throw  back  cartridges,  to  which  they 
attach  burning  saltpetre  paper,  evidently  with  the  intention  to  set 
our  cotton  on  fire.  They  succeeded  the  other  day,  and  we  hastened 
to  throw  some  bomb-shells  as  a  return  for  the  compliment.  Yes 
terday  I  crawled  behind  some  logs  with  commendable  haste,  show 
ing  both  humility  and  agility.  I  do  not  come  up  to  the  entrench 
ments  very  often.  I  do  not  like  it.  I  am  not  yet  enough  of  a 
soldier  to  hear  the  whistling  of  bullets  without  cringing.  I  spend 
most  of  my  time  here  in  the  woods,  taking  care  of  the  sick  men 
two  or  three  times  a  day.  Ball  and  I  devote  quite  a  good  deal  of 
time  just  now  to  cooking.  Last  night  we  had  a  regular  buttered 
toast,  the  first  we  have  ventured  on.  It  was  the  first  happy  con 
junction  of  bread  and  butter  in  our  larder.  It  was  a  triumphant 
success.  We  invited  in  Whitney  and  Hosmer.  A  log  served  for 
seats,  but  Hosmer  sat  upon  a  box ;  and,  as  he  grew  weighty  with 
the  toast,  he  broke  through.  So  we  eat,  laugh,  and  sleep,  others 


PORT    HUDSON  l8l 

swear  and  play  cards ;  while  horror  and  death  are  all  about  us. 
Something  must  be  done  speedily.  The  time  of  service  of  several 
of  the  regiments  is  about  expiring.  We  have  a  tough  job  before 
us  before  we  can  go  home.  To  lie  in  the  hot  sun  is  hard  enough, 
but  everything  makes  us  miserable.  The  last  week  has  been 
monotonous  beyond  any  of  its  predecessors.  We  notice  the  can- 
nonnading  as  little  as  you  would  the  shingling  of  a  barn  on  Frank 
lin  Street,  except  sometimes  at  night  it  becomes  sublime  as  a 
thunder-storm, —  the  night  before  last,  for  instance,  when  for  two 
hours  an  uninterrupted  fire  of  shot  and  shell  were  poured  into  the 
fort.  The  work  of  besieging  still  goes  on :  slow  and  wearisome 
work  it  is. 

I  judge  from  your  letters  that  you  are  trying  some  experiments 
in  natural  history.  Well,  I  am  busy  investigating  in  the  same 
department.  You  begin  your  work  earlier  in  the  day  than  I  do, 
and  make  more  of  a  backaching  job  of  it.  My  method  is  to  sit 
upon  a  log  when  the  more  sober  business  of  the  day  is  completed, 
and  limit  my  investigations  to  the  two  articles  that  compose  my 
apparel ;  namely,  my  shirt  and  trousers.  A  hat  and  boots  are  re 
served  for  dress  occasions, —  such  as  going  to  headquarters,  for 
instance.  Graybacks  and  black  legs  are  the  species  to  which  I 
specially  devote  myself.  Why  have  the  vermin,  do  you  ask  ? 
Well,  you  are  a  tolerably  neat  woman  :  why  do  you  have  flies  in 
your  house  ? 

You  may  judge  that  I  am  well.  I  am  better  by  far  than  before 
I  went  to  New  Orleans.  I  am  full  of  hope,  and  yet  not  without 
great  anxiety.  Unless  the  signs  fail,  there  is  soon  to  be  a  bloody 
battle.  We  have  it  intimated  that  an  attempt  will  be  made  to 
morrow  for  the  third  time  to  enter  Port  Hudson.  We  hope  to 
celebrate  the  Fourth  within  that  stronghold.  Batteries  have  been 
placed  to  command  every  available  space.  I  expect  to  hear  the 
deafening  roar  of  hundreds  of  guns  before  morning.  Everything  is 
quiet  to-day.  I  do  not  know  whether  there  has  been  firing  or  not. 
I  have  not  noticed.  As  my  attention  is  called  to  it,  it  is  still  going 
on.  It  appears  now  as  though  the  52d  would  not  be  in  a  very 
exposed  place ;  for  they  have  had  a  hard  spot  for  eighteen  days. 
I  think  they  will  stay  where  they  are,  and  hold  that  part  of  the 
works,  so  that  the  rebels  cannot  get  out.  Almost  every  day  we 
hear  of  one  or  more  deaths  in  the  regiment  or  at  the  hospital 
or  at  Baton  Rouge.  I  am  not  starving,  but  paddling  about  here 
barefoot,  with  my  shirt  all  open  in  front,  looking  shabby  and 


182  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

rowdy  enough.  I  am  glad  you  said  in  your  letter,  "  Stay  till  the 
job  is  finished."  I  have  quoted  that  to  a  lot  of  grumbling  men 
to-day.  The  future  is  full  of  uncertainty;  but,  if  we  do  not  go 
in  now,  we  may  as  well  give  it  up.  Our  army  cannot  stay  here 
much  longer. 

Another  butter  toast  to-day  for  dinner,  Capt.  Bissell  for  guest. 
I  told  Ball  it  was  not  so  good  as  the  one  we  had  yesterday.  He 
replied,  "There  was  no  butter  for  it,"  so  he  used  pork  fat.  I  told 
him  that,  when  next  he  was  compelled  to  make  a  butter  toast  with 
pork  fat,  to  inform  me  of  the  fact,  and  I  would  not  invite  com 
pany  to  dinner. 

To  the  Gazette  and  Courier  by  the  chaplain  :  — 

June  25. —  We  are  still  tugging  away  at  this  rebel  stronghold, 
which,  excepting  Vicksburg,  has  hardly  its  equal  in  the  New 
World.  Nature  and  art  seem  to  have  conspired  to  render  the 
place  impregnable.  Situated  upon  high  bluffs,  which  are  inter 
sected  in  every  possible  manner  by  ravines  and  valleys,  it  is  al 
most  equally  inaccessible  by  land  or  by  water.  The  line  of  en 
trenchments,  in  general  parallel  with  the  river  and  five  miles  in 
length,  pursues  a  zigzag  course,  to  get  the  advantage  of  cross-fire  : 
the  area  must  be  six  or  eight  square  miles,  possibly  more.  The 
breast-works  are  constructed  in  the  most  thorough  manner.  The 
place  is  now  closely  invested.  The  line  of  skirmishers  is  kept 
constantly  at  the  front  within  one  or  two  hundred  yards  of  the 
rebel  works ;  while  they  protect  themselves  behind  logs  and 
stumps,  as  best  they  can,  and  pop  as  often  as  they  discover  any 
thing  to  pop  at.  To  gain  the  ground  we  are  now  occupying  has 
cost  us  dearly.  But  the  wonder  is  that  the  cost  was  not  greater. 
In  the  woods  which  we  now  occupy  are  rifle-pits,  trenches,  and 
ravines,  from  which  the  enemy  were  driven  only  by  the  most  per 
sistent  bravery.  This  work  had  been  largely  done  before  the  52d 
came  up.  So  we  shared  neither  the  honor  nor  the  sacrifice.  We 
arrived  May  30,  and  on  the  5th  of  June  started  on  our  expedition 
to  Clinton,  where  a  force  of  the  rebels  was  lurking.  They  ske 
daddled  ;  and  we  came  back  as  fast  as  we  went,  and  much  more 
exhausted.  Sunday,  June  14,  was  the  first  day  of  battle  for  the 
52d.  It  had  been  determined  to  storm  the  works,  and  this  was 
unluckily  the  day  decided  upon.  I  say  unluckily,  for  nothing 
could  be  more  unfortunate,  not  to  say  unwise,  than  to  commence 
such  a  difficult  and  perilous  undertaking  against  the  deep-seated 
conviction  of  the  popular  mind.  I  feared  —  nay,  even  expected  — 


PORT    HUDSON  183 

repulse;  and  so  it  turned  out.  The  52d  were  deployed  near  the 
beginning  of  the  engagement  as  skirmishers  on  the  right.  This 
we  did  under  a  sharp  fire  from  the  breast-works,  till  we  were 
within  less  than  two  hundred  yards  of  them.  Here  we  halted  till 
night,  awaiting  further  orders.  At  last  we  were  told  to  hold  this 
position  till  relieved,  which  we  have  done  up  to  the  present  time. 
The  whistling  of  bullets,  the  storming  of  shells,  was  truly  frightful ; 
and  the  mystery  is  how  many  missiles  could  be  hurled  at  random, 
and  hit  so  few.  Our  boys  behaved  well. 

In  these  ravines,  hidden  away  here  and  there,  the  52d  boys 
have  been  kept  nearly  three  weeks.  The  discomforts  of  such  a 
place  you  cannot  realize.  The  men  are  exposed  to  the  uninter 
rupted  rays  of  this  torrid  sun,  with  no  shelter  except  what  they 
can  make  with  their  rubber  blankets  or  by  burrowing  like  squirrels 
in  a  bank.  In  these  ravines  no  air  can  circulate  to  moderate  the 
intense  heat.  The  nights  are  cool,  and  few  of  the  men  have 
blankets.  Their  knapsacks  and  most  of  their  clothes,  except 
these  rags  upon  their  backs,  are  stored  at  Baton  Rouge.  The 
flies  and  mosquitoes  set  sleep  at  defiance.  The  men  are  obliged 
to  keep  very  still  in  their  places.  A  head  shown  above  the  logs 
is  a  sure  mark  for  rebel  bullets.  For  several  days  there  was  no 
going  out  in  the  daytime ;  but  by  digging,  removing  obstructions, 
and  placing  logs,  shelter  passages  have  been  constructed,  so  that 
rations  and  water  can  be  carried  in,  and  men  can  pass  to  and 
fro  with  comparative  safety.  But  it  is  a  hard  place.  If  a  man 
had  been  told  when  he  went  in  there  that  he  was  to  stay  three 
weeks,  he  would  hardly  have  expected  to  come  out  alive.  Several 
who  have  not  had  a  day's  sickness  have  been  compelled  to  yield 
now,  and  the  whole  appearance  of  the  men  is  changed.  They 
cannot  help  being  dirty  and  ragged.  A  whole  garment  would 
be  a  curiosity.  If  we  could  muster  in  Greenfield  streets,  I  do 
not  know  whether  we  would  excite  more  pity  or  laughter.  About 
three  hundred  are  all  that  can  be  mustered  for  service  in  the  field. 
The  others  are  scattered  far  and  near.  In  a  comfortable  and  safe 
place  the  surgeons  and  chaplain  have  their  tent;  and  there  the 
sick  are  brought  in,  and  lie  upon  the  ground  under  the  trees.  The 
cooking  for  the  regiment  is  done  in  a  ravine  in  which  the  water  is 
found  half  a  mile  away  in  another  direction.  It  would  be  a  long 
story  to  tell  what  our  regiment  has  clone  and  endured  since  they 
came  into  this  region.  I  know  the  men  have  done  their  part  well, 
and  borne  their  share  of  the  labors  and  hazards  of  a  campaign 


184  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

which  has  demanded  as  arduous  and  vigorous  labor  as  any  cam 
paign  of  the  war.  Our  regiment  in  this  remote  corner  of  the 
Union  do  not  have  as  many  friends  from  home  to  write  glowing 
accounts  of  what  they  are  doing  as  the  regiments  which  are  more 
accessible;  but  the  army  of  the  gulf  can  have  the  sweet  conscious 
ness  that  no  portion  of  the  army  of  the  Union  has  been  more  active 
and  untiring  than  this.  The  march  to  Clinton  and  back  a  month 
ago  did  more  to  break  down  the  men  than  any  week's  work  they 
have  had.  Many  have  not  had  a  well  day  since.  In  the  unsuc 
cessful  assault  on  the  enemy's  works  on  the  i4th  the  52d  took  an 
honorable  part.  Why  was  the  assault  made  on  Sunday  ?  you  may 
well  ask.  We  know  of  no  reason  for  it.  It  was  a  sad,  disastrous 
day.  It  is  a  marvel  which  I  cannot  explain  that  the  52d  suffered 
so  little.  Other  regiments,  apparently  no  more  exposed,  suffered 
fourfold  more  than  they.  Col.  Greenleaf  and  the  other  field  offi 
cers  showed  great  coolness  and  courage,  and  handled  the  regiment 
well ;  and  to  this,  in  a  measure,  their  exemption  from  great  loss  is 
due.  We  feel  every  day  more  and  more  how  fortunate  the  regi 
ment  is  in  its  commanding  officer.  No  man  speaks  of  Col.  Green- 
leaf  but  to  praise  him,  no  dangers  which  the  men  would  not  cheer 
fully  meet  at  his  call.  To  stand  by  the  colors  and  the  colonel 
is  the  rallying  cry  in  battle.  Every  one  speaks  well  of  the  52d. 
We  had  but  few  men  killed  and  wounded  on  that  day,  but  the 
positions  secured  then  ought  to  be  held  ;  and  at  this  date,  July  6, 
we  have  been  twenty-one  days  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy. 

To  Mrs.  Moors  :  — 

July  3. — Another  night  has  passed,  and  no  assault  has  been 
made.  Banks  made  a  speech  to  the  soldiers  a  few  days  ago, 
and  told  them  they  would  dine  in  Port  Hudson  on  the  Fourth  of 
July.  The  rebels  seem  to  know  everything  that  is  going  on  on 
our  side.  They  shouted  to  our  men  yesterday  :  "  You  are  coming 
in  to-morrow,  are  you  ?  Should  like  to  see  you  try  it !  You  are 
going  to  dine  in  Port  Hudson  on  the  Fourth,  are  you  ?  Your 
dinner  will  last  you  as  long  as  you  live.  Dine  on  cold  grapes, 
won't  you  ? " 

Everybody  expected  the  assault  would  be  made  this  morning; 
but  the  night  has  been  unusually  quiet.  No  cannonading,  but  a 
good  deal  of  musketry  firing.  The  assault  must  come  soon,  or 
not  at  all.  If  Port  Hudson  does  not  fall  now,  Banks  may  as  well 
give  it  up. 

In  the    Woods  before  Port  Hudson,   July   4. — You  say  that   the 


PORT    HUDSON  185 

boys  write  but  few  letters  home  nowadays.  It  is  so,  and  for 
good  reasons.  They  have  no  materials,  and  no  opportunity  to 
use  them,  if  they  had  them.  Do  you  ask  where  they  are  ?  In  the 
rifle-pits  and  ravines  in  the  front  of  the  enemy's  works,  within 
easy  rifle  range.  In  front  of  the  rebel  works  the  trees  have  been 
cut  down  and  left  where  they  fell,  making  an  almost  impassable 
barrier.  The  ravines  increase  the  difficulty  of  approach. 

July  p. — Hoora !  Hoora  !  We  have  got  in  at  last.  The  day 
before  yesterday  came  official  information  of  the  surrender  of 
Vicksburg.  Yesterday  Gardner  proposed  to  surrender  Port  Hud 
son.  The  terms  agreed  upon  were  an  unconditional  surrender. 
At  eight  the  52d  fall  into  line  to  march  to  Augur's  headquarters  on 
the  left,  to  enter  the  fort  at  nine  o'clock.  It  is  as  glorious  as  it 
can  be,  and  comes  in  the  very  nick  of  time  for  us.  Now  I  hope 
to  start  soon  for  home  ;  but  expect  us  when  you  see  us.  I  cannot 
tell  when  we  shall  start,  but  probably  I  shall  not  write  again.  We 
are  all  excitement.  Such  a  Fourth  of  July  as  we  have  had  you 
never  heard  of.  True,  we  did  not  get  into  Port  Hudson  to  eat 
our  Fourth  of  July  dinner;  but  we  fired  a  grand  salute  for  a  full 
hour  at  noon,  and  every  band  was  brought  out  and  played  its  best. 
We  gave  the  rebels  a  good  Fourth  of  July  greeting. 


XIX. 

THE    SURRENDER   OF   PORT   HUDSON. 
[JULY  9,  1863.] 

Col.  Greenleaf's  account:  — 

"From  this  time  forward,  from  the  morning  of  the  2ist  of  June 
to  the  8th  of  July,  1863,  it  was  but  a  continuation  of  the  hardships 
and  perilous  exposure  for  those  in  front  heretofore  described. 

"  Night  and  day  the  skirmishing  is  kept  up ;  night  and  day  the 
riflemen  on  both  sides  eagerly  watch  for  human  targets ;  night 
and  day  the  siege  operations  go  steadily  forward.  The  zigzag 
saps  in  the  open  fields,  in  plain  view  of  both  lines,  are  slowly,  but 
surely  advancing  on  the  fortifications.  These  saps  are  about  six 
feet  wide,  and  from  the  top  of  the  earth  which  has  been  thrown 
out  to  the  bottom  of  the  trench  from  eight  to  nine  feet.  Al 
though  in  the  open  field  the  workmen  (mostly  negroes)  are  pro 
tected  in  great  degree  from  the  fire  of  the  Southern  marksmen  by 
means  of  hogsheads  filled  with  hard  pressed  cotton,  placed  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground  at  the  head  of  the  sap,  and  rolled  ahead  a 
few  feet  at  a  time  as  the  work  of  excavating  progresses,  yet,  in 
spite  of  every  precaution  that  can  be  taken,  from  four  to  six  brave 
lads  are  brought  out,  either  killed  or  wounded,  every  twenty-four 
hours.  Miller,  of  Co.  F,  was  killed  while  looking  along  his  mus 
ket,  through  a  loop-hole,  by  a  portion  of  a  slug  from  the  parapet  a 
few  yards  away.  The  slug  struck  the  muzzle  of  his  gun,  and  parted  : 
one  part  entered  his  rifle-barrel,  the  other  penetrated  his  vitals. 
Sergt.  Bennett,  of  Co.  K,  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  fragment  of 
a  shell  from  one  of  our  own  batteries,  which  exploded  within  our 
intrenchments.  Fragments  of  the  shell  were  thrown  back  over 
the  breastworks,  and  one  of  these  fatally  struck  him. 

"Cyrus  Stowell,  of  Co.  D,  the  'pleasant  corporal,'  exposed  his 
head  for  an  instant  from  behind  his  tree-trunk,  and  on  that  instant 
was  shot  and  killed  by  an  Argus-eyed  Confederate  from  behind 
his  parapet  and  sand-bags ;  Severence,  of  Co.  E,  was  killed  within 
a  few  yards  of  the  regimental  headquarters  on  the  brow  of  the 


THE    SURRENDER    OF    PORT    HUDSON  187 

plateau,  behind  the  two  fallen  tree-trunks ;  Conoly,  of  Co.  B,  and 
Foster,  of  Co.  F,  met  the  same  fate  in  the  trenches ;  Brayman,  of 
Co.  E,  is  mortally  wounded ;  and  so  it  goes.  Yet  this  night  and 
day  labor  and  exposure,  these  harsh  and  discordant  notes  of  war, 
this  continuous  roar  and  rattle  of  the  siege,  the  sight  of  bloodshed, 
the  suffering  of  the  sick  and  wounded,  the  presence  o£  death 
even,  all  become  monotonous  at  last.  We  become,  in  a  measure, 
calloused  to  horrid  sights  and  painful  sounds :  we  notice  them, 
and  think  of  them,  less  and  less  as  the  days  go  by. 

"But  'cavaliers'  have  been  built, —  one  of  them  not  far  from 
our  reserve  camp.  These  *  cavaliers '  are  high,  artificial  mounds, 
built  up  in  the  open  field  by  means  of  numerous  hogsheads  filled 
with  cotton,  piled  one  upon  another,  and  with  sufficient  earth  filled 
in  between  them  and  covering  them  to  make  the  mound  solid  and 
strong. 

"  From  these  high  elevations  our  marksmen  can  see  beyond  the 
breast-works  into  the  fortress,  and  get  a  longer  and  better  range. 
On  one  of  these  cavaliers  Capt.  Mack,  of  the  i8th  New  York  Bat 
tery,  mounted  one  of  his  twenty-pound  Parrotts,  and  with  it  dis 
mounted  and  silenced  the  last  heavy  gun  in  either  redoubt  that 
had  caused  us  trouble  or  that  was  opened  upon  us.  It  had  been 
shelling  us  a  long  time ;  but,  being  mounted  in  a  redoubt  within 
the  parapets  and  withdrawn  at  each  discharge,  our  sharpshooters 
in  front  were  unable  to  locate,  much  less  to  silence  it.  But  a 
well-directed  shot  from  the  cavalier  (whence  it  could  be  located) 
by  Mack's  skilled  gunner  struck  the  solitary  piece  in  the  muzzle, 
and  destroyed  it  forever.  This  was  truly  an  exhibition  of  splen 
did  artillery  practice.  About  this  time  our  saps  approach  the 
parapets :  we  soon  commence  to  '  mine '  them.  So  near  are  we 
now  to  the  besieged  'butternuts'  that  they  now  and  then  toss 
hand  grenades  over  their  earth-work*  among  our  working  force. 
These  explode  and  injure  our  men,  but  do  not  deter  them  from 
their  work.  Lieut.  Hurlbut,  of  Co.  A,  a  most  resolute  and  de 
serving  soldier,  is  among  the  number  wounded  by  these  hand 
grenades.  Although  unseen  by  each  other,  conversation  is  car 
ried  on  between  the  besiegers  and  besieged.  The  latter  beg  for 
tobacco,  the  former  ask  some  memento  in  return  ;  and  the  coveted 
articles  are  tossed  back  and  forth  over  the  parapets. 

"  On  the  seventh  day  of  July  we  were  fairly  under  the  fortifica 
tions  in  different  places, —  had  'mined'  them  and  prepared  secure 
places  for  our  magazines  of  power  with  which  to  blow  them  into 


l88  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

the  air,  and  open  a  passage  for  our  troops.  Three  or  four  days 
more,  and  we  should  have  been  ready  to  fire  the  train  and  to  fol 
low  up  the  explosions  with  victorious  assault;  but  on  the  eve  of 
that  ever-to-be-remembered  day  we  received  the  'glad  tidings  of 
great  joy'  announcing  the  fall  of  Vicksburg. 

"The  official  despatch  from  Gen.  Grant  to  Gen.  Banks,  an 
nouncing  the  surrender,  was  made  the  occasion  of  great  rejoicing 
within  the  Union  lines  as  soon  as  the  contents  thereof  became 
generally  known.  Salutes  were  fired,  bonfires  lighted,  and  cheers 
went  up  all  along  our  front.  Col.  Kimball  caused  a  copy  of  the 
official  despatch  to  be  tossed  over  the  parapet  to  anxious  Confed 
erates,  who  desired  to  know  what  so  much  rejoicing  signified. 

"  Upon  receiving  this  information  about  midnight  of  the  yth, 
Gen.  Gardner  sent  a  flag  of  truce  to  Gen.  Banks,  requesting  a 
cessation  of  hostilities,  with  a  view  to  a  consideration  of  terms  of 
surrender.  Gen.  Banks  replied  early  on  the  morning  of  the  8th 
by  sending  Gen.  Gardner  a  copy  of  the  official  notice  from  Gen. 
Grant  of  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  and  saying,  '  Under  present  circum 
stances  I  cannot  consistently  with  my  duty  consent  to  a  cessation 
of  hostilities  for  the  purpose  you  indicate.'  Whereupon  a  few 
hours  later  Gen.  Gardner  sent  another  note  to  Gen.  Banks,  from 
which  I  quote  as  follows  :  '  Having  defended  this  position  as  long 
as  I  think  my  duty  requires,  I  am  willing  to  surrender  to  you,  and 
will  appoint  a  commission  of  three  officers  to  meet  a  similar  com 
mission  appointed  by  yourself  at  nine  o'clock  this  morning,  for  the 
purpose  of  agreeing  upon  and  drawing  up  the  terms  of  sur 
render,  and  for  the  purpose  of  asking  for  a  cessation  of  hostilities. 
Will  you  please  designate  a  place  outside  the  breast-works  where 
the  meeting  shall  be  held  for  this  purpose  ? ' 

"  In  closing  his  answer  to  this  note,  Gen.  Banks  said  :  '  I  have 
the  honor  to  state  that  I  have  designated  Brig.-Gen.  Charles  P. 
Stone,  Col.  Henry  W.  Birge,  and  Lieut.-Col.  Richard  B.  Irwin  as 
the  officers  to  meet  the  commission  appointed  by  you.  They  will 
meet  your  officers  at  the  hour  designated,  at  a  point  where  the 
flag  of  truce  was  received  this  morning.  I  will  direct  that  active 
hostilities  shall  entirely  cease,  on  my  part,  until  further  notice,  for 
the  purpose  stated.' 

"  The  commission  thus  appointed  met  at  the  time  and  place  des 
ignated  by  the  two  opposing  major-generals  commanding,  and 
mutually  agreed  upon  and  adopted  the  following  articles  of  capitu 
lation  :  — 


THE    SURRENDER    OF    PORT    HUDSON  189 

"ARTICLE  i.  Major-Gen.  Frank  Gardner  surrenders  to  the 
United  States  forces  under  Major-Gen.  Banks  the  place  of  Port 
Hudson  and  its  dependences,  with  its  garrison,  armaments,  muni 
tions,  public  funds,  materials  of  war,  in  condition,  as  nearly  as  may 
be,  in  which  they  were  at  the  time  of  cessation  of  hostilities ; 
namely,  six  o'clock  A.M.,  July  8,  1863. 

"ARTICLE  2.  The  surrender  stipulated  in  Article  i  is  qualified 
by  no  condition,  save  that  the  officers  and  enlisted  men  compris 
ing  the  garrison  shall  receive  the  treatment  due  to  prisoners  of 
war,  according  to  the  usages  of  civilized  warfare. 

"  ARTICLE  3.  The  private  property  of  the  officers  and  enlisted 
men  shall  be  respected,  and  left  to  the  respective  owners. 

"ARTICLE  4.  The  position  of  Port  Hudson  shall  be  occupied 
to-morrow  at  seven  o'clock  A.M.  by  the  forces  of  the  United  States, 
and  the  garrison  received  as  prisoners  of  war  by  such  general  offi 
cers  of  the  United  States  service  as  shall  be  designated  by  Major- 
Gen.  Banks,  with  the  ordinary  formalities  of  rendition.  The  Con 
federate  troops  will  be  drawn  up  in  line,  officers  in  their  positions, 
the  right  of  the  line  resting  on  the  prairie  south  of  the  railroad 
depot,  the  left  extending  in  the  direction  of  the  village  of  Port 
Hudson.  The  arms  and  colors  will  be  piled  conveniently,  and 
will  be  received  by  the  officers  of  the  United  States. 

"ARTICLE  5.  The  sick  and  wounded  of  the  garrison  will  be 
cared  for  by  the  authorities  of  the  United  States,  assisted,  if  de 
sired  by  either  party,  by  the  medical  officers  of  the  garrison. 

"CHARLES  P.  STONE,  Brigadier-General. 

"  W.  N.    MILES,    Colonel  commanding  the  right 

wing  of  the  army. 

"WM.  D WIGHT,  Brigadier-General. 
"G.  W.  STEADMAN,   Colonel  commanding  the  left 

wing  of  the  army. 
"  MARSHALL  S.  SMITH,  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Chief 

Artillery. 
"HENRY    W.    BIRGE,    Colonel    commanding  $th 

Brigade,  Grant's  Division. 
"Approved. 

N.  P.  BANKS,  Major- General. 
"  Approved. 

FRANK  GARDNER,  Major-General. 

"  The  formal  surrender  of  Port  Hudson  was  accordingly  made  on 
the  gth  of  July,  1863.  Gen.  Gardner,  on  that  occasion,  offered  to 
surrender  his  sword  with  his  command,  but  was  requested  to  retain 
it." 

[From  the  official  report  made  by  Gen.  Stone  to  Gen.  Banks, 
we  learn  that  the  number  of  enlisted  men  paroled  at  Port  Hudson 
was  5,935 ;  officers  not  paroled,  405.  Aggregate  of  prisoners 
taken,  6,340. 


190  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

Capt.  Jackson,  of  the  Confederate  army,  reporting  to  Gen.  J.  E. 
Johnson  July  9,  1863,  says :  "  Port  Hudson  surrendered  yester 
day.  Our  provisions  were  exhausted;  and  it  was  impossible  to  cut 
our  way  out,  on  account  of  the  proximity  of  the  enemy's  work. 
We  have  lost  two  hundred  killed,  and  between  three  and  four  hun 
dred  wounded,  and  two  hundred  have  died  from  sickness.  At  the 
time  of  the  surrender  there  were  only  about  twenty-five  hundred 
men  fit  for  duty."] 

"  I  well  remember  that  bright,  pleasant  morning  in  July  when, 
with  banners  flying  and  bands  playing,  we  proudly  marched  into 
Port  Hudson.  I  then  thought  it  the  happiest  day  of  my  life. 

"The  term  of  service  for  which  the  52d  Regiment  enlisted 
expired  while  we  were  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  siege,  but  we  had 
had  the  satisfaction  and  honor  of  serving  until  grand  results  had 
been  achieved.  We  now  enjoyed  the  distinguished  honor  of  hav 
ing  aided  in  compelling  the  surrender  of  one  of  the  strongest  and 
most  stubbornly  defended  military  positions  ever  successfully 
besieged  in  this  or  any  other  country,  thus  aiding  to  remove  that 
last  remaining  obstruction  to  commerce  on  the  Mississippi  River. 

"  We  could  now  return  to  our  dear  old  New  England  homes, 
rejoicing  in  this  exultant  thought,  in  the  proud  consciousness  that 
our  military  duties  in  the  Union  cause  had  been  faithfully  per 
formed. 

"  We  were  to  be  the  first  regiment  to  ascend  the  Mississippi 
River  after  it  had  been  opened  to  navigation,  but  must  delay  our 
departure  a  week  or  two  for  want  of  the  necessary  transportation. 
While  our  army  had  been  laying  siege  to  Gen.  Gardner  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  river,  Gen.  Taylor,  whom  we  persuaded  to  vacate 
Fort  Bisland  and  then  pursued  up  the  Teche  to  Opelousas,  thence 
to  Alexandria,  as  previously  described,  had  been  making  things 
somewhat  lively  for  Banks's  remaining  force  west  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  at  Brashear  City,  and  at  Donaldsonville  and  vicinity. 

"About  the  20th  of  June  Taylor,  having  returned  with  his 
reconstructed  command  down  the  Teche,  surprised  and  captured 
the  federal  garrison  at  Brashear  City,  numbering,  all  told  (includ 
ing  convalescents),  about  fifteen  hundred  men,  together  with  a 
large  amount  of  supplies :  thence,  moving  through  La  Fourche 
country,  he  struck  the  Mississippi  near  Donaldsonville,  and  from 
that  point  interrupted  our  communications  with  New  Orleans. 
Thereupon,  as  soon  as  Port  Hudson  fell,  Gen.  Banks  again  paid 
his  compliments  to  Gen.  Taylor.  An  expedition  requiring  all  the 


THE    SURRENDER    OF    PORT    HUDSON  19 1 

available  river  transportation  was  immediately  fitted  out  and  sent 
down  the  river  to  dislodge  Taylor  at  Donaldsonville,  redeem  La 
Fourche  country,  and  recapture  Brashear  City.  In  the  mean 
time  our  convalescents  from  New  Orleans  and  Baton  Rouge  were 
brought  up  by  Surgeon  Richardson,  members  of  the  regiment  on 
detached  service  called  in,  and  other  necessary  preparations  made 
to  embark  on  the  first  transport  that  could  be  spared  us.  I  im 
proved  this  delay  to  ascertain  the  facts  with  regard  to  the  conduct 
of  the  negro  troops  on  the  2yth  of  May  previous,  as  it  had  been 
my  purpose  to  do  from  the  time  the  first  reports  of  their  wonderful 
exploits  reached  me.  I  went  in  person  to  Gen.  Grover,  —  a  model 
soldier,  affable,  competent,  and  brave, —  in  whose  division  the  said 
Nelson's  colored  brigade  served  on  the  occasion  referred  to,  called 
his  attention  to  what  had  been  said  and  written  with  respect  to  the 
conduct  of  that  brigade  on  the  2;th  of  May  (and  he  had  heard 
and  seen  reported  substantially  the  same  accounts  of  the  affair 
that  had  reached  me),  and  asked  him  to  do  me  the  favor  to  give 
me  the  facts  in  the  case  as  officially  reported  to  him,  adding  that 
I  not  only  desired  the  actual  facts  for  my  own  satisfaction,  but 
that,  as  I  was  about  to  return  North  with  my  command,  for  truth's 
sake  and  the  country's  sake,  I  should  take  pleasure  in  stating  the 
official  facts  to  whomever  they  might  concern  in  the  North,  when 
ever  I  should  have  occasion.  Gen.  Grover  smiled  in  his  quiet, 
pleasant  way,  and  replied :  '  Well,  colonel,  the  story  is  a  short  one, 
and  soon  told.  Most  of  the  unofficial  reports  of  the  affair  which 
you  inquire  about  that  have  come  to  me,  as  they  have  to  you,  are 
greatly  exaggerated.  Nelson's  brigade  numbered  about  fourteen 
hundred  men :  they  participated  in  the  assault  on  the  27th  of  May, 
but  they  made  no  such  wonderful  charges  as  has  been  reported. 
They  did  not  leap  the  parapets  and  bayonet  the  gunners,  nor  in 
deed  did  they  get  very  near  the  parapets  :  they  did  not  even  carry 
the  rifle-pits  thrown  out  in  front.  Their  entire  loss  for  the  day 
was  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  the 
greater  part  of  which  loss  was  the  "  missing."  ' 

"  Having  kindly  given  me  in  person  this  interesting  informa 
tion,  Gen.  Grover  referred  me  to  his  assistant  adjutant-general 
Capt.  Hibbert  for  further  details  of  the  affair.  I  forthwith 
called  upon  the  assistant  adjutant-general,  used  the  general's 
name,  made  known  my  business,  and  from  him  received  sub 
stantially  the  above  statement,  derived  from  official  reports  then 
in  his  possession." 


IQ2  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

» 

From  a  lecture  upon  the  Army  Chaplain  :  — 

The  last  and  hardest  chapter  in  our  experience  was  the  siege  of 
Port  Hudson.  Lucky  for  us,  it  was  the  last;  for  not  many  of  our 
number  could  have  survived  another  like  it.  It  was  the  hardest 
service  the  regiment  saw.  We  were  close  up  under  the  rebel 
works,  and  remained  there  day  and  night,  sheltered  only  by  some 
rude  earth-works  we  had  thrown  up  for  our  protection.  The  dis 
comforts  of  our  position  were  not  due  to  any  one  condition.  It 
was  not  that  the  days  were  intensely  hot  and  the  nights  uncom 
fortably  cold,  and  there  was  no  escape  from  the  one  or  the  other ; 
it  was  not  that  water  was  scarce,  and  the  little  we  could  obtain  was 
so  filthy  as  to  provoke  disgust,  the  rations  poor  and  insufficient, 
the  meat  fat  bacon,  and  the  hard-tack  wormy ;  it  was  not  that  the 
men  were  ragged  and  dirty,  and  had  to  live  in  the  dirt,  which, 
after  a  shower  became  tenacious  mud;  it  was  not  that  they  had 
to  occupy  lowly  and  constrained  positions  (an  upright  posture  was 
sure  to  be  a  fatal  one) ;  it  was  not  that  a  perfect  storm  of  cannon 
ading  and  musketry  was  going  on  around  and  over  them  by  day 
and  night :  it  was  not  that  they  believed  that  their  term  of  service 
had  expired,  and  that  they  were  unjustly  retained  and  the  task  be 
fore  them  seemed  hopeless, —  it  was  not  one  of  these  conditions, 
but  all  combined,  that  made  the  month  of  June  as  full  of  hardship 
and  discomfort  as  possible.  A  great  deal  of  sickness  prevailed. 
Just  out  of  range  of  rebel  muskets  the  sick  men  were  stretched 
upon  the  ground,  lying  upon  their  blankets,  exposed  to  the  hot 
sun  by  day  and  the  cold  air  by  night,  with  such  care  as  the  assist 
ant  surgeon  and  the  chaplain  could  render.  Three  hundred 
muskets  were  all  our  regiment  could  show ;  and  yet  there  was  no 
insubordination.  Our  men  went  steadily,  if  not  cheerfully,  to  their 
work,  determined  to  see  the  end.  All  the  harder  this,  and  all  the 
more  honorable,  that  in  several  of  the  nine  months'  regiments  there 
was  open  revolt. 


COL.  GREENLEAF'S  ACCOUNT  OF  A  FORAGING    EXPEDI 
TION    TO    JACKSON    CROSS-ROADS. 

But  to  break  the  monotony  of  the  siege  for  the  520!  Regiment, 
an  order  comes  to  me  from  Col.  Kimball,  late  in  the  evening  of 
the  iQth  of  June,  to  report  with  my  command  for  duty  at  Gen. 
Banks's  headquarters,  three  or  four  miles  to  the  rear,  at  sunrise 
in  the  morning. 

We  were  no  little  puzzled  to  receive  such  an  order,  at  such  a 
time,  under  such  circumstances,  but  had  no  alternative  but  to  obey. 
It  required  most  of  the  remainder  of  the  night  to  get  the  men  out 
of  the  trenches  in  front  to  the  reserve  camps  in  the  rear;  but  they 
were  all  fairly  out  by  daylight,  and  ready  to  march  as  directed.  We 
then  mustered  about  five  hundred  guns  altogether.  We  could 
muster  no  more,  for  the  reason  that  many  men  had  been  made 
sick  from  hard  marching  and  exposure,  and  many  others  had  been 
put  upon  detached  service.  Arriving  at  the  general's  camp  a  little 
after  sunrise,  we  there  met  for  the  first  time  Gen.  Charles  P.  Stone, 
then  (or  soon  to  become)  Banks's  accomplished  chief  of  staff. 
He  had  been  released  from  what  many  believed  to  have  been  un 
just,  arbitrary  military  arrest  in  Washington,  a  few  weeks  previ 
ously,  and  ordered  to  report  for  duty  to  Gen.  Banks  in  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  Gulf.  He  had  been  under  arrest  about  a  year,  yet  up 
to  this  time  did  not  even  know  the  cause  of  the  arrest,  although  he 
had  repeatedly  asked  the  proper  authorities  for  specific  charges. 
Rather  a  sad  commentary  on  what  Shakespeare  denominates 
"even-handed  justice"  in  Washington  at  that  time.  Gen.  Stone 
has  been  commander-in-chief  of  the  Egyptian  armies  for  several 
years  past.  But  I  digress.  We  now  receive  the  orders  for  which 
we  came.  We  are  to  escort  a  forage  train,  consisting  of  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty-four  mule  covered  wagons,  to  Jackson  Cross-roads 
eighteen  miles  to  the  rear  and  return,  and  are  to  have  added  to 
our  command  for  this  service  one  hundred  of  the  2d  Rhode  Isl 
and  Cavalry,  Lieut.  Col.  Corliss  commanding,  and  one  section  of 


IQ4  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

Closson's  field  battery.  This  train  is  to  be  in  charge  of  Banks's 
quartermaster  and  wagon-master,  and  goes  out  to  confiscate  forage 
required  for  the  army.  It  is  known,  however,  at  these  headquar 
ters  that  we  are  liable  to  encounter  the  same  Confederate  force 
(estimated  at  twenty-five  hundred  men),  under  Gen.  Mouton,  that 
Gen.  Paine  and  his  command  sought  to  "gobble  "  at  Clinton,  two 
weeks  before ;  but  we  receive  our  orders,  the  infantry  mount  the 
wagons  as  a  guard,  and  we  push  ahead.  A  few  miles  out,  where 
two  converging  roads  meet  and  join,  we  found  Lieut.  Col.  Loomis 
and  Major  Starr,  of  Grierson's  famous  command,  who,  with  about 
fifty  wagons  and  two  hundred  of  their  fine  cavalry,  are  also  on  a 
foraging  expedition  ;  and  it  is  soon  agreed  that  we  join  our  forces, 
and  push  on  to  Jackson  together.  This  gives  me  a  command  con 
sisting  of  five  hundred  infantry,  three  hundred  cavalry,  and  one 
section  of  an  excellent  field  battery,  which,  together  with  the  two 
hundred  wagons,  make  a  train  over  two  miles  long. 

The  country  proves  to  be  quite  an  interesting  one.  The  high 
way  is  bounded  by  thick  evergreen  hedges  in  many  places  and 
skirted  by  wood  in  others, —  a  splendid  country  for  bush-whack 
ing,  and  correspondingly  bad  for  a  long  forage  train,  where  a 
superior  force  of  the  enemy  is  on  the  lookout  for  it !  Some  eight 
or  nine  miles  out  we  come  to  a  deep  gulch,  or  ravine,  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  yards  wide,  which  we  cross.  We 
are  anxious  and  uncomfortable  as  we  cross  this  ugly  ravine  :  we 
imagine  an  itinerating  battalion  of  Mouton's  force  confronting  us 
on  the  opposite  (western)  bank  as  we  return,  and  we  are  not 
happy.  But  on  we  go  until  about  one  o'clock  P.M.,  when  we  reach 
Jackson  Cross-roads.  Here  two  roads  cross  each  other  nearly  at 
right  angles,  running  nearly  north  and  south,  the  other  east  and 
west.  A  mile  or  two  on  the  road  to  the  north  is  the  village  of 
Jackson,  from  which  the  crossing  takes  its  name. 

It  is  a  fine,  open,  rolling  country  this.  The  ground  is  somewhat 
higher  at  the  crossing  than  for  some  distance  to  the  south  and 
east,  and  we  here  command  a  view  of  quite  an  extended  land 
scape.  Beyond  the  open  fields  to  the  south-east,  seven  or  eight 
hundred  yards  away,  is  a  dense  wood.  About  half  a  mile  to 
the  south,  a  short  distance  from  the  highway,  are  several  plan 
tation  out-houses,  in  which  the  wagon-master  says  forage  is  stored ; 
and  on  the  road  running  east  (about  north-east  from  the  cross 
ing),  about  the  same  distance  away,  are  still  other  buildings,  in 
which  there  is  also  said  to  be  grain.  But,  as  we  have  no  time 


A    FORAGING    EXPEDITION  195 

to  spare,  we  should  load  our  wagons  with  all  possible  despatch, 
and  begin  our  return  march  in  season  to  recross  that  dangerous 
ravine  before  nightfall. 

The  colonel  comprehended  the  situation  at  once,  and  promptly 
gave  what  he  deemed  the  requisite  orders  for  securing  the  coveted 
forage.  One  hundred  wagons  would  proceed  to  the  plantation  on 
the  right  and  load  up,  preceded  by  Lieut.  Col.  Loomis  with  one 
hundred  cavalry,  who  would  take  position  on  the  road  beyond  to 
guard  against  attack ;  while  the  other  one  hundred  wagons  would 
make  their  way  to  the  other  plantation  on  the  left,  and  load  up, 
with  Major  Starr  and  the  remaining  one  hundred  of  Grierson's 
cavalry  posted  on  the  road  beyond. 

A  squad  of  the  2d  Rhode  Island  Cavalry  would  be  posted  as  a 
picket  guard  on  the  Port  Hudson  road  in  our  rear,  another  on  the 
Jackson  road,  and  the  remainder  of  that  command,  under  Lieut. 
Col.  Corliss,  would  constitute  a  guard  well  to  the  front. 

Our  modest  little  battery  was  planted  on  elevated  ground  in  the 
south-east  angle  of  the  crossing,  where  it  would  have  a  fine  wide 
range,  and  the  regiment  (the  guard  having  previously  alighted  from 
the  wagons)  formed  in  line  a  few  yards  to  the  rear  to  support  it. 
The  regiment  stacked  arms  as  soon  as  the  line  had  been  formed, 
and  the  members  thereof  immediately  set  about  making  coffee  and 
overhauling  haversacks  for  bread  and  meat  for  their  lunch.  These 
several  movements  were  made  simultaneously :  they  were  likewise 
made  quickly.  We  are  now  in  the  best  position  possible,  under 
the  circumstances.  But,  just  as  the  cooks  had  fairly  got  their  fires 
going,  a  cavalryman  dashed  up  to  me  with  a  written  message  from 
Lieut.  Col.  Corliss,  in  which  he  said  he  had  that  moment  learned 
from  negroes  and  others  on  the  plantation  to  the  right  that  Gens. 
Mouton  and  Hughes  had  camped  on  the  premises  with  their  com 
mand  of  twenty-five  hundred  men  (many  of  them  mounted)  the 
night  previous  ;  that  they  had  been  notified  of  our  coming,  and 
were  now  on  the  lookout  for  us ;  that  they  were  then  in  the  wood 
or  concealed  in  the  fields  near  by,  and  that  I  might  expect  to  be 
attacked  by  them  in  a  few  minutes. 

As  I  finished  reading  this  interesting  despatch,  another  cavalry 
man  rode  up  with  a  prisoner  from  the  opposite  direction,  and  I 
proceeded  at  once  to  interrogate  them.  The  prisoner  appeared  to 
be  honest  and  intelligent,  freely  answered  my  questions,  and  fully 
confirmed  what  Lieut.  Col.  Corliss  had  despatched  to  me  with  re 
gard  to  the  enemy  and  his  whereabouts  a  few  moments  before. 


196  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

The  cavalryman  brought  much  the  same  story  from  the  left.  I 
inquired  of  the  prisoner  about  the  roads, —  whether  there  was 
any  road  within  a  few  miles  of  us  north,  connecting  with  the 
one  running  east  from  Port  Hudson,  which  led  to  and  crossed 
the  ravine  previously  described.  He  answered  that  the  road 
running  through  Jackson  Village  did  this ;  and  I  forthwith 
turned  him  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  cavalry  picket- 
guard  in  the  rear. 

I  saw  nothing  to  change  in  the  dispositions  at  first  resolved 
upon  and  already  made,  from  the  fact  that  we  were  really  in  immi 
nent  danger :  we  would  await  the  threatened  attack  from  whichever 
direction  and  in  whatever  manner  it  might  be  made.  Nor  were  we 
long  in  suspense.  Within  five  or  ten  minutes  after  Col.  Corliss's 
message  had  been  received,  just  as  our  communicative  prisoner 
was  marching  to  the  rear,  and  before  our  coffee  had  been  drunk  or 
any  bread  tasted,  "  the  hathin  butternuts  "  open  the  military  ball 
in  good  earnest.  Crack  !  crack  !  crack  !  crack !  go  the  rifles  near 
the  edge  of  the  wood :  then  comes  the  rattle  of  volley  after  volley 
of  musketry  in  rapid  succession  from  the  plantation  on  the  right. 
"Battalion!"  The  52d  boys  are  in  line  of  battle  in  a  moment, 
and  the  artillery  men  are  at  their  guns.  We  look.  Behold !  the 
Southern  hosts  are  filing  out  of  the  woods  and  fields,  and  massing 
within  range  of  our  battery.  Our  teamsters  are  evidently  panic- 
stricken  ;  the  mules  are  frightened,  and  running  at  the  top  of  their 
speed,  with  their  white-topped  wagons,  in  every  direction  ;  and  the 
2d  Rhode  Island  Cavalry  are  falling  back.  Two  companies  of  the 
regiment  deploy  in  skirmish  line,  and  push  to  the  front.  Col.  Cor 
liss  dashes  up,  and  himself  confirms  previous  reports  as  to  whose 
commands  and  what  numbers  we  have  to  encounter.  Our  two  brass 
guns  command  the  field  Among  the  many  covered  wagons  in  the 
train,  and  men  and  horses  about  our  rendezvous,  the  Confederate 
generals  had  failed  to  notice  the  battery.  We  have  only  to  swing 
around  the  muzzles  of  the  guns  to  get  the  range,  and  open  fire 
with  shot  and  shell ;  and  this  is  done  promptly,  skilfully,  and  most 
effectively.  The  artillerymen  do  their  whole  duty,  just  in  the  nick 
of  time.  Mouton  and  Hughes  evidently  were  taken  wholly  by 
surprise.  We  could  see  that  their  troops  were  about  as  badly  de 
moralized  from  the  effect  of  our  fire  as  our  teamsters  and  mules 
had  been  from  their  attack.  The  artillery  was  in  play  but  a  few 
moments;  and  the  enemy  was  soon  out  of  sight  in  the  woods,  just 
in  his  rear.  The  fear  then  was  that,  as  soon  as  he  had  sufficiently 


A    FORAGING    EXPEDITION  197 

recovered  from  the  surprise  and  punishment  inflicted,  he  would 
re-form  in  the  wood,  which  extended  some  distance  to  the  north, 
swoop  down  on  our  left,  half  a  mile  away,  gobble  up  the  one  hun 
dred  wagons  and  Major  Starr's  cavalry  force  there,  and  then  return 
to  attack  our  right  from  a  more  favorable  direction.  We  feared 
he  might  first  "  gobble  "  our  left,  and  then,  by  way  of  the  Jackson 
road,  put  his  greatly  superior  force  in  our  rear  on  the  further  bank 
of  the  ravine  heretofore  described.  At  any  rate,  we  were  in  no 
position  or  condition  to  cope  with  a  much  superior  force,  while 
thus  spread  out ;  and,  as  it  was  clearly  our  first  duty  to  save,  if 
possible,  our  train,  we  despatched  orders  right  and  left  to  abandon 
further  attempts  at  foraging,  and  for  the  teams  to  come  in  at  once. 
We  would  concentrate  our  small  force,  and  then,  if  again  attacked, 
park  our  wagons,  and  fight  it  out  to  the  bitter  end  ;  or,  if  not 
attacked,  seek  to  make  the  further  banks  of  the  ravine  in  advance 
of  the  Confederates. 

Simultaneously  with  the  orders  despatched  right  and  left  was 
still  another  order  to  the  cavalry  guard  in  the  rear,  as  well  as  to 
the  wagon-master,  to  halt  the  first  teams  that  should  come  in  at 
the  post  on  the  Port  Hudson  road,  and  hold  them  there  until  the 
train  could  be  closed  up,  and  the  further  order  given  to  move. 
Soon  the  teams  began  to  come  in, —  hurrah,  boys  !  pell-mell,  helter- 
skelter, —  some  without  drivers,  some  with  two  mules,  others  with 
three,  now  and  then  a  mule  with  harness  off  or  parts  of  it  drag 
ging  on  the  ground,  with  a  wrecked  wagon  behind,  drivers  and 
mules  all  under  the  greatest  excitement.  We  expected  every 
moment  to  see  the  enemy's  horse  dash  at  the  flank  of  our  left  line 
and  cut  it  in  two  as  it  came  straggling  in  ;  but  we  were  happily 
spared  the  pain  of  such  a  sight.  We  knew  it  was  the  best  strat 
egy  for  him  to  strike  our  left  while  thus  exposed,  and  were  amazed 
that  he  did  not  do  it. 

It  was  about  one  half-hour  after  the  orders  to  concentrate  had 
been  given  before  the  last  wagon  came  in.  Just  at  this  moment 
a  report  came  back  that  the  cavalry  squad  posted  to  the  rear  had 
disobeyed  orders,  and  failed  to  halt  and  hold  the  teams  as  they 
came  up ;  that,  in  fact,  both  cavalry  and  teams  had  been  on  a 
grand  "  skedaddle "  from  the  time  the  first  of  the  demoralized 
train  came  in.  This  report*  was  indeed  interesting.  How  was  a 
forage  train  to  be  guarded  that  should  become  so  frightened  as  to 
disobey  orders,  and  run  away  from  its  escort !  As  the  enemy  had 
failed  to  strike  our  left,  he  had  probably  passed  around  it,  struck 


198  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

the  Jackson  road,  and  pushed  for  the  west  bank  of  the  ravine,  in 
which  case  he  would  be  almost  certain  to  capture  all  teams  so 
foolish  as  to  run  away  from  their  escort. 

Lieut.  Buddington,  acting  adjutant, —  a  brave,  efficient  soldier, 
and  well  mounted, —  was  thereupon  ordered  to  ride  with  all  haste 
to  the  said  ravine,  eight  or  nine  miles  distant,  and  to  halt  the  last 
teams  he  should  overtake  by  fast  riding  to  that  point,  and  the  en 
tire  military  command  to  close  up  at  once  on  the  rear  of  the  train 
and  take  up  the  return  march,  in  the  hope  that  we  might  succeed  in 
recrossing  the  ravine  in  safety  before  nightfall.  As  we  closed  up 
on  the  train,  the  infantry  again  "  mounted  guards,"  and  a  company 
of  cavalry  was  sent  to  the  front.  Finally,  as  the  rear  of  the  train 
was  no  longer  threatened,  I  rode  to  the  front  with  the  battery,  to 
gether  with  all  but  a  squad  of  the  remaining  cavalry,  reaching  the 
head  of  the  train,  and  overtaking  Adjt.  Buddington  at  the  ravine, 
just  as  the  long  line  had  fully  closed  up.  The  adjutant  reported 
that  about  fifty  wagons  had  crossed  the  gulch  before  he  could 
reach  it,  and  that  they  had  already  been  captured  by  the  enemy's 
advance.  At  this  moment  a  courier,  coming  across  the  country 
from  the  Union  lines,  rides  up  to  me  with  a  despatch  from  Gen. 
Stone,  stating  that,  since  the  train  started  in  the  morning,  infor 
mation  had  reached  him  to  the  effect  that  a  considerable  force 
of  the  enemy  would  probably  be  encountered  on  the  expedition, 
urging  the  utmost  caution  to  prevent  surprise,  and  suggesting  that 
we  make  the  best  defence  possible  and  send  for  re-enforcements 
in  case  of  attack.  But  even  this  kind  and  considerate  order  ne 
cessitated  no  change  in  our  proposed  movements.  No  sooner 
was  it  read  than  the  order  was  given,  "  Forward  !  march  !  "  The 
head  of  the  column  moved  at  once,  and  a  few  minutes  later  had 
reached  the  plateau  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  yet  passable 
"gulf;  "  but  the  minute  the  advance  had  gained  this  high  ground 
the  Confederate  advance-opened  fire  on  us  from  the  right  with  his 
twelve-gun  battery  and  smaller  arms. 

Our  glorious  little  battery  promptly  wheeled  out  of  column  to 
the  right,  and  took  position  in  front ;  and  a  line  of  battle,  embrac 
ing  all  the  infantry  and  cavalry  at  the  moment  available,  was  as 
promptly  formed  to  support  the  battery.  Our  movement  from 
Jackson  had  been  too  quick  for  the  enemy :  we  had  gained  this 
strong  position  in  advance  of  him,  and  we  were  happy.  Lieut. 
Col.  Loomis,  who  at  first  favored  fighting  the  battle  out  at  the 


A    FORAGING    EXPEDITION  199 

Cross-roads,  now  conceded  that  our  orders  for  the  return  march 
had  been  "  all  right." 

Capt.  M.  H.  Spaulding,  Co.  C,  reports  that,  from  information 
received  from  Major  Graham  of  the  ist  or  2d  Artillery,  there 
were  on  the  ground  a  Confederate  ferce  of  three  regiments  of 
infantry,  three  of  cavalry,  and  Adams's  battery  of  six  pieces  of 
twelve-pounders. 

Mouton  and  Hughes  fear  our  well-served  brass  field-pieces,  and 
fall  back  before  them  and  the  determined  battle  front  that  we 
present.  The  wagon  train  passes  along  the  road  in  rear  of  our  line 
of  battle,  the  gallant  command  closes  on  the  last  wagon  as  it 
moves  past,  and  thus  we  return  to  Banks's  headquarters  without 
further  incident,  and  there  make  our  report  of  the  expedition  to 
the  general  in  person.  Gen.  Banks  regrets  the  loss  of  our  fifty 
wagons  and  two  hundred  mules, —  also,  that  we  failed  to  secure 
more  forage ;  but  he  is  satisfied  from  reports  that  had  reached 
him  during  the  day,  as  well  as  from  our  own  report,  that  we  "  did 
well  to  get  back  with  so  little  loss." 

The  regiment  marches  back  to  camp  in  a  somewhat  jaded  con 
dition,  hoping  for  a  good  night's  rest  and  sleep  in  the  woods.  But 
late  in  the  evening,  after  an  enjoyable  supper,  and  after  some 
pretty  racy  stories  of  the  day's  exploits  had  been  related,  we  were 
informed  by  Col.  Kimball,  in  person,  that  a  great  mistake  had  been 
made  by  somebody  in  taking  us  out  of  the  trenches  and  sending 
us  off  on  such  an  expedition  ;  that  the  fact  that  we  held  so  impor 
tant  a  position  in  front  was  overlooked  at  Gen.  Grover's  head 
quarters  at  the  time  the  order  was  sent  him,  and  that  the  error  had 
not  been  discovered  until  too  late  to  correct  it;  that,  in  conse 
quence  of  this  blunder,  our  hard-earned  position  in  front  had  been 
unoccupied  since  we  vacated  it  at  midnight,  and  that  therefore  we 
must  reoccupy  it  as  soon  as  possible.  And  the  half-compliment 
ary,  half-cruel  order  was  obeyed,  although  it  required  most  of  the 
night  to  carry  it  into  effect.  Thus  ended  our  perilous  expedition 
to  Jackson  Cross-roads. 

The  following  day  an  adequate  force,  under  Gen.  Weitzel,  was 
sent  out  to  Jackson  to  chastise  the  predatory  Confederates  who 
had  given  me  so  much  trouble ;  but,  as  did  Gen.  Paine  at  Clinton 
two  weeks  previous,  Gen.  Weitzel,  on  arrival  at  Jackson,  found 
that  Gens.  Mouton  and  Hughes  had  considerately  left  for  parts 
unknown.  It  was  ascertained,  however,  at  the  crossings  that,  in 
the  engagement  with  our  gallant  little  command  the  day  previous, 


200  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

the  enemy  suffered  a  loss  of  between  thirty  and  forty  killed  and 
wounded ;  while  our  loss,  besides  the  sixty  teams,  was  but  seven 
or  eight  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.  Two  members  of  the 
52d  Regiment  were  captured  with  the  runaway  train  ;  and  Lieut. 
Col.  Corliss  reported  a  loss  of  five  or  six  of  his  Rhode  Island  Cav 
alry. 


XXI. 

WITHIN    PORT    HUDSON    AND    THE   JOURNEY    HOME. 

[JULY  23  TO  AUG.  4,  1863.] 

JULY  12,  1863. 

My  dear  Wife, —  Here  we  are  in  Port  Hudson  at  last.  I  wrote 
you  a  few  words  announcing  the  surrender.  We  have  had  a  very 
exciting  week.  Last  Sunday  we  were  full  of  anxiety.  A  fierce 
battle  seemed  to  be  close  at  hand.  Our  preparations  for  another 
assault  were  nearly  completed,  and  the  result  could  not  but  be 
bloody  and  terrible ;  and  yet  we  were  confident  that  we  could  win 
possession  of  the  place.  On  Monday,  July  6,  Cyrus  Stowell  was 
killed.  Have  I  told  you  about  him  ?  He  was  a  very  pleasant  fel 
low, —  a  cheerful,  hopeful,  happy  boy,  the  son  of  Deacon  Stowell, 
of  South  Deerfield.  A  bullet  pierced  his  head,  and  killed  him 
instantly.  We  had  had  no  burial  services  since  the  siege  began  ; 
but  he  was  a  very  popular  fellow,  and  the  boys  made  a  great  effort 
to  get  possession  of  his  body.  The  funeral  was  very  impressive. 
It  was  about  nine  o'clock  at  night.  He  was  wrapped  in  his 
blanket.  We  had  two  candles.  The  clouds  hung  around  the  hori 
zon,  and  the  thunder  and  lightning  were  abundant.  Overhead  was 
a  patch  of  starlight.  To  the  south,  a  little  way  off,  the  booming 
of  cannon  and  the  rattle  of  musketry  told  us  that  the  bombard 
ment  was  going  vigorously  on.  As  we  stood  around,  while  some 
of  the  men  were  digging  a  shallow  grave,  I  told  the  boys  it  was 
the  most  impressive  scene  I  had  witnessed.  When  the  grave  was 
dug,  the  body  of  our  comrade  was  laid  in  it,  and  a  religious  ser 
vice  held.  In  the  midst  of  a  prayer  a  bullet  from  a  rebel  rifle, 
whose  range  was  a  little  longer  than  most,  whizzed  through  our 
circle  as  we  stood  around  the  grave.  I  heard  some  one  say,  "  Put 
out  the  candle !  "  which  a  boy  had  been  holding  for  me  by  which 
to  read  a  passage  from  the  Bible. 

The  next  day,  July  7,  came  the  news  of  the  surrender  of  Vicks- 
burg.  It  was  official,  and  gave  great  joy.  The  big  guns  fired 
their  salutes,  the  bands  played  the  most  exultant  strains,  the  men 
shouted  for  joy.  The  next  morning,  Thursday,  it  was  found  that 


202  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

Gen.  Gardner  had  sent  to  Gen.  Banks  to  propose  terms  of  surren 
der.  At  nine  o'clock  there  was  a  meeting  of  officers  of  both 
armies  to  arrange  the  terms.  At  two  o'clock  it  was  announced 
that  the  terms  had  been  agreed  upon.  I  suppose  you  at  home  will 
infer  that,  as  this  followed  so  hard  upon  the  surrender  of  Vicks- 
burg,  it  was  dependent  upon  that ;  but  it  is  not  so.  The  surrender 
would  have  taken  place  soon  if  Vicksburg  had  not  surrendered. 
The  rebels  were  fairly  starved  to  it.  There  had  been  terrible  suf 
fering  within  the  fort  for  some  time,  and  all  prospects  of  relief 
were  lost :  they  must  give  up,  or  die.  That  afternoon  we  sent  in 
beef  and  hard-tack  for  their  use.  I  spent  the  afternoon  in  examin 
ing  our  siege  works, —  the  saps  and  mines  our  men  had  prepared, 
and  which  were  nearly  completed.  The  next  morning,  July  9,  we 
had  orders  to  be  in  line  at  eight  o'clock,  and  soon  after  marched 
to  Gen.  Augur's  headquarters,  where  we  waited  till  ten  to  get  our 
whole  army  into  line;  and  then,  with  flags  flying  and  bands  play 
ing,  we  marched  into  this  stronghold  of  rebeldom.  There  was  no 
formal  surrender  of  arms,  such  as  we  see  in  the  pictures  of  Corn- 
wallis  giving  up  his  sword.  If  there  were  any  such,  we  had  not 
seen  it.  We  were  halted  near  the  river.  I  found  a  tree  that  had 
been  cut  through  by  a  shell  and  laid  upon  the  ground.  The 
leaves  were  still  green.  I  crawled  into  the  branches,  and  laid 
there  till  nearly  night,  with  a  solitary  hard-tack  for  dinner  on  which 
to  celebrate  our  victory.  Ball  got  up  a  shelter  tent  at  night,  and 
we  slept  our  first  sleep  in  Port  Hudson.  The  regiment,  after  loung 
ing  most  of  the  day  in  the  hot  sun,  were  sent  to  guard  the  rebel 
prisoners,  and  are  at  the  same  business  still.  The  next  days,  Fri 
day  and  Saturday,  I  spent  in  examining  the  rebel  works  and  talk 
ing  with  the  prisoners.  This  has  kept  me  busy  for  a  while  in  the 
morning,  the  only  part  of  the  day  that  I  can  do  anything.  The 
rest  of  the  day  I  lounge  in  my  tent,  and  do  nothing,  except  I  have 
found  Bulwer's  novel  of  "Pelham,"  which  I  have  enjoyed  reading- 
It  is  the  only  book  I  have,  excepting  the  Bible. 

I  wish  you  could  be  here  for  an  hour  and  see  this  place.  The 
fortifications  are  on  the  highest  bluffs  I  have  yet  seen  on  the  Mis 
sissippi.  The  bluffs  are  about  forty  feet  high,  and  as  jagged  on  the 
water's  edge  as  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  The  water,  every  time 
it  rains,  washes  away  some  portion  of  the  bluffs  more  than  others. 
On  the  very  edge  of  one  of  these  projecting  bluffs  I  am  seated, 
writing  this.  The  scene  is  a  remarkable  one.  If  I  should  take 
four  steps  in  advance,  I  should  plunge  over  a  precipice  forty  feet 


WITHIN    PORT    HUDSON  —  THE   JOURNEY    HOME  203 

high.  The  water  in  the  river  comes  up  nearly  to  the  foot  of  the 
precipice,  and  is  rising  rapidly.  On  the  edge  of  the  water  are 
crowds  of  men  in  all  kinds  of  dirty,  ragged  dress,  both  rebs  and 
Feds,  a  good  many  in  no  dress  at  all ;  for  it  is  for  bathing  purposes 
that  this  crowd  has  collected.  I  look  down  upon  hundreds  of 
heads  of  swimmers  bobbing  up  and  down  in  the  water.  The  river 
makes  here  an  angle  of  ninety  degrees.  It  comes  sweeping 
towards  me  from  the  west,  then  makes  a  graceful  bend  to  the 
south.  The  stream  is  broad  and  grand.  I  do  not  weary  of  sitting 
or  lying  here  and  watching  it.  To  the  right  of  me  a  little  distance 
there  is  a  dense  forest,  with  the  deepest  green  foliage.  Near  at 
hand  the  first  thing  that  attracts  attention  is  the  broad  folds  of  the 
United  States  flag  floating  victoriously  to  the  breeze  from  a  flag 
staff  raised  upon  the  edge  of  the  bluff.  At  its  foot  and  all  along 
the  bluff,  right  and  left,  are  the  carefully  prepared  embrasures  for 
heavy  siege  guns,  several  of  which  remain,  though  some  have  been 
dismounted  by  our  shells.  Within  an  arm's  length  of  my  right 
hand  is  one  of  the  magazines  for  powder,  nearly  empty  now.  The 
litile  plot  on  which  we  are  living  has  had  all  the  turf  removed  to 
build  into  the  embrasures.  It  is  a  dirty  spot  enough  to  live  in. 
Some  of  the  boys  help  me  confiscate  the  door  of  the  railroad  sta 
tion  near  by ;  and  we  drag  it  to  this  little  dirty  spot,  and  it  serves 
me  for  house  and  tent.  Looking  now  at  the  south,  there  is  the 
same  broad  expanse  of  river ;  and  three  or  four  miles  down  the 
stream  lie  the  gunboats,  silent  now,  and,  rising  majestically  among 
them,  the  tall  masts  of  the  "  Hartford,"  Commodore  Farragut's 
flagship.  Much  nearer,  almost  at  my  feet,  lie  six  steamers  which 
came  up  last  night  with  stores,  and,  we  suppose,  are  to  take  the 
rebel  prisoners  away.  The  edges  of  the  bluff  are  lined  with  idlers. 
Feds  and  Confeds  talking  leisurely,  and  for  the  most  part  good- 
naturedly,  together.  I  have  said  that  the  Qth  was  a  happy  day  for 
us,  and  so  it  was.  No  words  can  express  our  joy  that  the  siege  was 
ended,  and  so  satisfactorily.  But  so  tired  and  exhausted  were  the 
men  that  we  could  not  manifest  much  enthusiasm.  We  plodded 
on  more  like  a  funeral  procession  than  like  the  triumphant  march 
of  a  victorious  army.  We  were  seeing  on  every  side  the  effects  of 
the  siege.  The  trunks  of  trees  a  foot  or  more  in  diameter  had 
been  torn  asunder  by  the  heavy  shot  which  had  been  poured  in. 
Holes  in  the  hard  earth  six  or  eight  feet  deep  showed  where  shells 
had  struck  and  been  buried.  The  small  arms  of  seven  thousand 
rebel  soldiers  were  piled  together  on  the  ground.  We  had  a 


204  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

chance  to  see  the  huge  siege  guns  that  had  been  so  effective,  and 
now  were  silenced. 

Though  we  are  within  Port  Hudson,  it  is  not  a  paradise  that 
we  have  found.  About  the  time  we  entered  here  the  rebels  got 
in  our  rear  below  Donaldsonville  with  a  powerful  battery,  and 
stopped  all  communications  with  New  Orleans.  This  cut  off  our 
rations,  not  over-abundant  before,  all  at  once.  We  had  more  than 
six  thousand  rebel  prisoners  to  feed  ;  and  they  must  have  full  ra 
tions,  whether  we  had  anything  or  not.  Our  men  have  had  the 
poorest  food  for  a  week  past  they  have  ever  had.  It  has  been  so 
with  the  chaplain.  The  commissary  has  given  out.  So  long  as 
we  could  buy  some  bread  and  very  poor  butter  at  fifty  cents  per 
pound,  we  could  have  a  butter  toast ;  but,  when  both  bread  and 
butter  failed  and  we  came  down  to  hard-tack  and  pork  fat,  it  was 
a  good  deal  of  a  falling  off.  Since  Ball  substituted  pork  fat  for 
butter  and  wormy  hard-tack  for  bread,  I  have  lost  my  taste  for 
butter  toast,  and  almost  everything  else,  in  fact.  I  told  Ball  that, 
when  hard-tack  became  wormy  and  buggy,  I  wished  he  would  rap 
it  upon  a  log  and  toast  it.  I  have  had  some  tea,  one  part  of 
which  is  sage  and  the  rest  a  concoction  of  brass  kettles  and  ink. 
We  buy  it  for  black  tea.  Of  all  the  detestable  living  I  have  had 
has  been  of  late ;  and  yet  I  find  the  fellows  every  day  whom  I 
invite  to  dine  or  sup  with  me  go  into  ecstasies  over  the  splendid 
meal  they  have  had,  the  best  they  have  eaten  for  weeks,  as  I  have 
no  doubt  it  is.  And  then  the  smells  !  Whew  !  The  rebels  left  us 
an  inheritance  of  bad  odors  which  would  put  Cologne  to  shame. 
If  you  were  here,  you  would  have  a  chance  to  hear  the  tallest 
scolding,  fretting,  and  swearing  there  is  to  be  had. 

Why  don't  we  start  for  home  ?  is  the  inquiry  many  times  every 
hour  of  the  day.  For  these  reasons  :  There  is  a  great  deal  yet  to 
be  done.  We  can  wait.  The  real  reason  is  it  takes  time  to  secure 
transportation.  And  it  is  hot.  That  don't  express  it.  I  cannot 
express  it.  The  men  are  still  on  duty,  some  on  picket  and  some 
doing  provost  duty,  —  Co.  A,  for  instance.  Capt.  Long  proposes 
to  stay  here,  and  be  colonel  of  the  loth  Regiment  of  the  native 
guards,  —  a  first-rate  man  for  the  place,  a  first-rate  place  for  the 
man.  He  changed  his  plans,  and  will  go  with  us.  The  "  Feds  "  and 
"  Confeds  "  meet  here  on  a  good  degree  of  equality.  Our  army  are 
guarding  six  thousand  rebel  prisoners.  I  move  about  among  them 
very  freely,  and  am  much  interested  in  them.  The  officers  are 
cultivated  and  refined  gentlemen.  I  cannot  say  as  much  of  the 


WITHIN    PORT    HUDSON  —  THE   JOURNEY    HOME  205 

rank  and  file.  We  have  heated  discussions  about  the  causes  of 
the  war.  The  officers  talk  intelligently,  and  are  eloquent  on  the 
matter  of  State  rights.  The  others,  as  far  as  I  can  discover,  know 
little  of  the  causes  for  which  they  have  been  fighting,  telling  us 
that  the  "  Yankees  came  down  there  to  steal  their  niggers. "  All 
these  seven  thousand  are  to  be  sent  home,  giving  their  parole  not 
to  enter  again  the  service  of  the  Confederacy,  and  to  appear 
when  called  for  by  the  Federal  government^  As  though  their  pa 
role  would  be  worth  anything  !  Capt.  Long  superintends  the  parole, 
and  tells  me  that  in  some  regiments  nine-tenths  of  the  men  make 
their  mark,  as  they  cannot  sign  their  names.  What  a  contrast ! 
There  are  five  or  six  men  of  foreign  birth  in  our  regiment  who  can 
not  sign  their  names,  no  more.  I  have  had  to  write  a  good  many 
letters  for  our  men  in  hospital,  but  never  for  a  man  who  was  not 
able  to  write  his  own.  The  regiment  is  getting  very  sickly :  ty 
phoid  and  intermittent  fevers  abound.  The  three  weeks  in  the 
trenches  are  beginning  to  tell  upon  the  men.  Our  staying  here 
two  or  three  weeks  or  going  home  in  two  or  three  days  will  make 
a  difference  of  twenty  or  thirty  men  more  or  less.  But  dinner  is 
ready  :  I  must  attend  to  it ;  but  it  is  soon  despatched.  We  are 
reduced  to  hard  tack,  and  it  is  wormy  and  buggy.  I  will  make 
up  if  ever  I  sit  down  to  one  of  Bridget's  dinners.  How  it  makes 
my  mouth  water  to  think  of  it !  What  do  you  suppose  I  want 
most?  Some  good  mealy  potatoes,  some  peas,  some  beans  and 
onions.  No  vegetables  do  we  get,  no  fruit  of  any  kind. 

We  have  got  together  at  last  all  who  are  able  to  go  by  boat  up 
the  river.  Others  go  by  water,  and  will  probably  get  home  before 
we  do.  If  they  are  kept  here  for  a  month,  it  is  doubtful  if  they 
ever  see  home.  Christopher  Newton  is  in  the  hospital,  and  prob 
ably  will  not  live  the  day  out.  Arthur  Browning's  bones  are  walk 
ing  about  here.  If  he  can  get  to  Rowe,  he  can  perhaps  get  some 
flesh  on.  His  cousin  from  Colraine  is  here,  more  shaky  than  he. 
Our  hospital  here  is  the  old  depot  building,  in  which  sugar  and  mo 
lasses  are  stored  and  meal  scattered.  But  its  dirt  is  not  its  worst 
feature.  It  is  a  sad  place  to  go.  even  for  a  short  visit,  every  day. 
I  have  seen  more  homesick  men  here  than  in  any  other  spot.  It  is 
a  sad  place  in  which  to  have  the  fever.  The  Lord  deliver  me  from 
such  a  fate  !  I  was  not  very  well  last  week,  and  Ball  thought  I 
was  homesick.  I  had  no  appetite,  and  he  tried  to  pamper  me  with 
some  salt  junk  and  pickles.  I  feel  quite  well  now.  To-day  I  have 
distributed  a  couple  of  thousand  books,  tracts,  and  newspapers 


2O6  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

which  have  just  arrived  from  the  Christian  Commission.  I  have 
gathered  all  my  duds  here,  and  am  ready  to  start  on  an  hour's  no 
tice.  I  cannot  but  think  we  shall  get  started  this  week.  But 
expect  me  home  when  you  see  me.  Keep  up  good  cheer.  I  mean 
to.  Have  the  boiler  full  of  hot  water  when  I  arrive,  ready  to  put 
me  into,  and  some  clean  clothes  for  me  to  put  on. 

JULY  23,  1863. 

My  dear  Wife, —  I  came  pretty  near  beginning  this  with  a  fear 
ful  howl  because  we  do  not  get  away,  but  at  last  the  order  has  come 
to  go  on  board  the  "  Chouteau  "  at  4  P.M.,  to  start  for  Cairo.  So 
there  is  some  chance  we  may  see  the  outside  of  Port  Hudson.  We 
are  as  anxious  to  see  the  outside  as  we  were  a  few  weeks  ago  to 
see  the  inside.  It  is  very  hot  and  sickly.  Browning,  of  Colraine, 
died  this  morning.  Spencer  Phelps,  one  of  the  best  of  our  men, 
also  died  this  morning.  I  saw  him  yesterday,  and  saw  that  he  was 
very  sick.  But  he  told  me  hopefully  that  he  thought  he  could 
stand  it  one  day  more.  But  one  of  the  last  duties  I  am  to  perform 
here  is  to  attend  his  funeral.  I  am  well,  but  lean  and  hungry. 

From  Church's  journal :  — 

"May  ii.  —  Some  of  us  were  sent  to  New  Orleans  as  guard 
over  a  large  number  of  prisoners.  We  went  in  the  evening  of  the 
i3th,  and  the  next  morning  were  on  our  way  back  to  Barre's  Land 
ing.  The  trip  was  not  a  very  hard  one,  but  it  used  me  up.  Not 
much  seemed  to  ail  me,  —  only  dumb  ague,  malarial  fever,  chronic 
diarrhoea ;  and,  besides,  I  did  not  feel  very  well,  so  took  steam  for 
Brashear  City.  At  this  time  I  weighed  one  hundred  fifty-six  pounds, 
a  few  weeks  later  ninety-seven  pounds.  There  I  remain  in  ward  fif 
teen  in  the  barracks  hospital,  and  saw  no  more  of  the  regiment  till  I 
joined  them  at  Port  Hudson.  Right  here  I  wish  to  say  a  word  for 
the  Sisters  of  Charity  during  my  hospital  life.  I  know  them  to 
have  been  untiring  in  their  efforts  to  relieve  the  sick  and  the  suf 
fering.  No  matter  what  the  creed,  none  applied  to  them  in  vain. 
They  are  a  noble  band  of  self-denying  workers.  Too  much  cannot 
be  said  in  praise  of  their  efforts. 

"  I  reported  for  duty  July  15.  Those  who  were  called  well  were 
guarding  the  works.  I  was  one  of  those  called  well.  There  were 
no  well  men.  All  were  used  up,  and  were  a  sad-looking  set.  We 
were  informed  that,  on  account  of  our  good  record  in  the  depart 
ment,  we  should  be  the  first  regiment  sent  North ;  and  July  23  we 


WITHIN    PORT    HUDSON  —  THE   JOURNEY    HOME  207 

marched  to  the  river  and  aboard  the  steamer  '  Harry  Chouteau.' 
We  were  going  home.  Do  you  know  what  that  means  to  us  ?  " 

Col.  Greenleaf's  address  at  South  Deerfield,  1892  :  — 

"  Comrades  of  the  52 d  Regiment  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  Ladies, 
and  Gentlemen,  —  Two  years  ago,  upon  the  occasion  of  the  twenty- 
fifth  annual  reunion  of  the  52d  Regiment  in  Bernardston,  I  had 
the  honor  of  reading  to  those  present  the  second  chapter,  together 
with  a  portion  of  the  third,  of  my  imperfectly  written  reminiscences 
of  our  army  experiences  on  water  and  land.  This  brought  us 
down  to  the  surrender  of  Port  Hudson, —  the  grand  result  of  mili 
tary  service  of  the  iQth  Army  Corps  in  the  Department  of  the 
Gulf. 

"But  little  now  remains  for  me  to  say.  Having  already  de 
scribed  in  a  very  indifferent  manner  the  more  important  events  in 
which  we  took  conspicuous  part, —  commencing  with  our  embarka 
tion  on  the  old  ocean  steamer  '  Illinois,'  in  New  York  Harbor, 
and  ending,  as  I  said,  with  the  capture  of  Port  Hudson,  —  it  now 
only  remains  for  me  to  describe,  in  the  same  imperfect  manner,  our 
weary  yet  gladsome  journey  home.  Therefore,  a  few  parting 
words,  and  we  will  proceed  homeward. 

"  While  our  army  had  been  laying  siege  to  Port  Hudson  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river,  Gen.  Taylor,  whom  we  persuaded  to  vacate 
Fort  Bisland  and  then  to  retire  up  the  Teche  to  Opelousas,  thence 
to  Alexandria,  as  previously  described,  had  been  making  things 
somewhat  lively  for  Banks's  remaining  force  west  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  at  Brashear  City  and  at  Donaldsonville  and  vicinity. 

"About  the  20th  of  June  Taylor,  having  returned  with  his  re 
constructed  command  down  the  Teche,  surprised  and  captured  the 
Federal  garrison  at  Brashear  City,  numbering,  all  told  (including 
convalescents),  about-  fifteen  hundred  men,  together  with  a  large 
amount  of  army  supplies :  thence,  moving  through  La  Fourche 
country,  he  struck  the  Mississippi  near  Donaldsonville,  and  from 
that  point  interrupted  our  communications  with  New  Orleans. 
Whereupon,  as  soon  as  Port  Hudson  fell,  Gen.  Banks  again  paid 
his  compliments  to  Gen.  Taylor.  An  expedition  requiring  all  the 
available  river  transportation  was  immediately  fitted  out,  and  sent 
down  the  river  to  dislodge  Taylor  at  Donaldsonville,  redeem  La 
Fourche  country,  and  recapture  Brashear  City. 

"In  the  mean  time  our  convalescents  from  New  Orleans  and 
Baton  Rouge  were  brought  up  by  Surgeon  Richardson,  members  of 
the  regiment  on  detached  service  called  in,  and  other  necessary 


208  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

preparations  made  to  embark  on  the  first  transport  that  could  be 
spared  us. 

"  As  will  be  remembered,  our  term  of  service  expired  during  the 
siege  operations ;  but,  to  the  honor  and  glory  of  all,  the  regiment 
remained  in  the  trenches  and  on  other  active  duty  to  the  end. 

"We  were  to  be  the  first  regiment  to  ascend  the  Mississippi 
River  after  it  had  been  opened  to  navigation,  but  must  delay  our 
departure  a  week  or  two  from  want  of  the  necessary  transportation. 
And  just  here  I  think  it  proper  to  introduce  a  copy  of  a  letter  writ 
ten  at  this  time  and  place  by  a  distinguished  Union  officer,  then 
personally  known  to  many  of  us,  whose  name,  when  I  shall  speak 
it,  will  be  recognized  by  all  as  that  of  a  most  gallant  soldier  of 
Western  Massachusetts.  This  letter  will  serve  to  explain,  in  a 
measure,  why  it  was  that  the  52d  was  to  be  the  first  regiment  to 
return  home  via  the  Mississippi, —  a  circumstance  which  caused 
some  comment  at  the  time,  inasmuch  as  the  term  of  service  of  sev 
eral  other  regiments  had  previously  expired.  The  letter  reads  as 
follows  :  — 

"HEADQUARTERS  DEPT.  OF  THE  GULF,  IQTH  ARMY  CORPS, 
PORT  HUDSON,  July  20,  1863. 

"MAJOR-GEN.  N.  P.  BANKS,  commanding  Dept.  of  the  Gulf,  New 
Orleans  : 

"  General, —  I  inspected  the  camps,  hospitals,  kitchens,  etc.,  of 
Ullman's  brigade  this  morning.  They  are  getting  into  a  pretty 
good  state  of  police  generally.  Large  mortality  from  dysentery 
and  measles. 

"  There  is  very  considerable  disaffection  in  some  of  the  nine 
months'  regiments.  Most  of  them  think  of  nothing  but  getting 
home,  without  any  regard  to  want  of  transportation.  To-day  one 
company  of  the  5oth  Massachusetts  mutinied,  and  refused  to  do 
duty.  The  mutineers  were  promptly  put  under  guard ;  and  I  have 
directed  Brig.-Gen.  Andrews  to  send  them  under  guard  to-day 
to  New  Orleans,  to  be  sent  to  Ship  Island  for  hard  labor  during 
the  war,  subject  to  your  approval.  At  the  same  time  I  have 
elected  the  52d  Massachusetts  Regiment,  in  which  there  has  been 
no  instance  of  refusal  to  do  duty  or  of  insubordination,  for  im 
mediate  shipment  North,  and,  without  any  publication  of  the  fact, 
have  allowed  it  to  be  understood  that  the  regiments  are  to  be 
shipped  in  such  order  as  to  leave  those  who  behave  badly  to  go 
last.  Most  of  Ullman's  brigade  are  unarmed.  Shall  the  arms 
and  accoutrements  of  the  nine  months'  men  be  taken  from  them? 
"Very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

"CHARLES  P.  STONE, 

Brigadier-  General. 

[Taken  from  official  Records  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies,  Series  I, 
vol.  xxvi.,  Part  I.,  p.  648.] 


WITHIN    PORT    HUDSON THE   JOURNEY    HOME  209 

"  Possibly,  in  this  connection,  the  following  letter  written  by  me 
to  the  editor  of  the  Greenfield  Gazette  and  Courier,  with  respect  to 
this  good  'friend  at  court,'  a  few  months  later,  may  be  of  some  in 
terest  to  his  friends  who  may  survive,  as  well  as  to  the  surviving 
members  of  the  regiment  and  their  friends,  many  of  whom,  I  know, 
were  the  personal  friends  of  Gen.  Stone.  This  letter,  although 
intended  for  publication,  never  was  published,  to  my  knowledge. 
Perhaps  it  was  not  deemed  worthy  a  place  in  the  columns  of  the 
Gazette  and  Courier  during  the  perilous  times  in  which  it  was 
written;  but  of  this  you  maybe  able  to  judge  better  than  I.  It 
reads  thus :  — 

"  [Copy.] 

"  NEW  ORLEANS,  June  10,  1864. 

"  S.  S.  EASTMAN,   Esq.,  Editor "    Gazette  and  Courier,  Greenfield, 
Mass.: 

"Dear  Sir, —  I  notice,  with  much  pleasure,  in  the  Gazette  and 
Courier  of  the  23d  of  May,  duly  received,  an  article  headed  'Gen. 
Charles  P.  Stone,'  exonerating  him  from  all  responsibility  for  the 
disaster  which  befell  our  late  expedition  up  Red  River. 

"  I  am  pleased,  sir,  with  this  article  for  two  reasons  :  first,  be 
cause  I  think  it  states  but  the  simple  truth  with  regard  to  Gen. 
Stone,  than  whom,  I  believe,  there  are  but  few  better  soldiers 
anywhere,  and  none  who  came  nearer  my  idea  of  a  gentleman  ;  and, 
secondly,  because  of  the  '  irrepressible '  interest  I  feel  in  the 
records  of  all  good  soldiers  from  my  adopted  State,  and  especially 
in  the  records  of  those  from  Western  Massachusetts. 

"  Of  Gen.  Banks's  responsibility  in  the  matter  I  do  not  presume 
to  speak.  Undoubtedly,  it  will  yet  appear  that  he,  too,  has  been 
unjustly  censured;  but,  whoever  may  have  been  at  fault  for  the 
results  of  that  campaign,  of  one  fact  you  may  rest  assured, —  that 
person  was  not  Gen.  Charles  P.  Stone. 

"  We  have  unquestionably  many  excellent  officers  yet  remaining 
in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf, —  officers  well  tried  and  true,  and 
who  command  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  know  them ;  but 
I  think  I  speak  but  the  common  sentiment  of  officers  and  men  in 
this  department,  when  I  say  that  no  one  of  the  many  is  more  uni 
versally  respected  and  esteemed  than  Gen.  Stone,  or  more  de 
servedly  so. 

"  And  I  intrude  this  line  upon  you  at  this  time,  sir,  simply  as 
a  tribute  of  justice  to  one  of  whom  Massachusetts  may  well  be 
proud,  and  whom,  I  believe,  history  will  show  to  have  been  greatly 
wronged. 

"  Truly  yours, 

"  H.  S.  GREENLEAF. 


210  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

"  But  I  digress.  The  necessary  preliminary  arrangements  having 
been  made,  late  in  the  afternoon  or  evening  of  the  23d  of  July 
1863,  the  regiment  took  passage  on  the  old  river  steamer  '  Henr) 
Chouteau '  for  Cairo,  111.,  whence  we  were  to  proceed  home  b) 
rail.  A  large  portion  of  the  steamer  —  indeed,  the  most  comfort 
able  portion  —  was  converted  into  a  hospital,  and  filled  with  the 
sick,  many  of  whom  were  destined  never  again  to  cross  the 
threshold  of  the  old  homestead,  or  again  to  behold,  the  faces  ol 
loved  ones  who  were  eagerly  awaiting  their  return. 

"Spencer  Phelps,  of  the  Northampton  company,  breathed  his 
last  in  his  tent  on  this  day,  while  busy  preparations  were  bein^ 
made  to  permanently  'break  camp.'  I  saw  him  in  company  wit! 
Capt.  Spaulding,  and  was  recognized  by  him,  as  he  lay  stretchec 
on  his  rubber  blanket,  on  the  ground,  a  few  hours  only  before  w< 
enbarked  on  the  steamer  '  Chouteau.'  He  died  in  his  uniform,  i 
manly  man  and  brave  soldier,  one  of  many  victims  to  congestive 
fever,  while  others  of  his  comrades  were  rejoicing  in  the  hope 
that,  having  made  their  last  march  and  fought  their  last  battle  ii 
Louisiana,  they  would  soon  be  welcomed  back  to  family  anc 
friends  among  their  native  New  England  hills,  in  the  blessed  hop< 
that,  having  faithfully  performed  the  military  duties  which  ha< 
been  given  them  to  do,  their  lives  would  still  be  spared  to  stanc 
erelong  once  more  upon  their  native  heath,  beneath  our  dear  Nev 
England  skies. 

"  Our  first  night  on  the  river  was  made  memorable  by  the  loss  o 
one  of  the  many  royal  members  of  the  regiment, — Joshua  G.  Hawks 
of  the  Deerfield  company.  He  was,  indeed,  a  splendid  specimen  o 
the  Massachusetts  volunteer  soldier.  That  other  equally  splendic 
specimen  of  the  volunteer  soldier,  Prof.  James  K.  Hosmer,  wh< 
served  as  a  corporal  of  the  same  company,  and  who,  as  we  al 
can  testify,  stood  bravely,  manfully,  by  the  colors  to  the  end,  thu: 
speaks  of  his  comrade  Hawks  in  his  '  Corporal's  Notes  of  Militar 
Service,'  entitled 'The  Color  Guard'  (pages  230,  231):  '  Grosveno 
Hawks,  indeed,  my  good  friend,  a  high-minded  patriot,  whose  grea 
spirit  had  carried  his  feeble  body  through  all  our  exposures,  thougl 
pale  and  haggard,  went  from  man  to  man,  shaking  hands.  He  la; 
down  at  night,  spreading  out  his  blankets  with  his  old  comrades 
In  the  morning  his  couch  lay  as  he  had  spread  it ;  but  he  wai 
gone,  and  the  eyes  of  no  man  have  rested  upon  him  since.  Hi: 
was  a  brave  and  knightly  soul.  No  doubt  he  rose  in  the  night 
too  exultant,  perhaps,  over  the  brighter  prospects  of  our  grea 


WITHIN    PORT    HUDSON THE   JOURNEY    HOME  211 

cause,  and  over  the  thought  that  hardship  honorably  borne  was 
soon  to  be  over,  to  sleep.  The  moon,  about  full,  floated  gloriously 
before  him  in  the  heavens  among  the  summer  clouds,  as  the 
"  Sangreal,  with  its  veils  of  white  samite,"  floated  before  Arthur's 
pure-souled  knights.  A  misstep  with  his  weak  limbs,  and  he  fell 
overboard  into  the  flood.  So  our  good  friend  must  have  perished/ 

"On  the  2yth  of  July,  while  yet  on  our  passage  to  Cairo,  three 
other  '  weary  and  heavy-laden '  soldiers  crossed  the  dark  river  on 
board  the  *  Henry  Chouteau,' —  namely,  Sylvester  Howes,  of  Co. 
E,  Warren  A.  Graves,  of  Co.  H,  and  Henry  M.  Albee,  of  Co. 
B, —  making  four  of  our  number  who  died  on  board  the  steamer 
between  Port  Hudson  and  Cairo. 

"  Natchez,  Vicksburg,  Memphis,  and  Island  No.  Ten  were 
passed  in  slow  succession,  with  little  time  for  any  one  on  board  to 
go  ashore  for  any  purpose.  A  few  of  the  more  able-bodied  and 
enterprising  improved  their  opportunity  to  visit  a  portion  of  the 
city  and  fortifications  of  Vicksburg,  but  their  numbers  were  indeed 
few.  So  worn  and  weary  and  sick  were  most  of  us  that  great 
effort  was  required  to  get  up  much  interest  on  our  part,  even  in  so 
famous  a  city  as  this,  made  more  famous  by  its  stubborn  and  long- 
continued  resistance  to  Grant,  and  whose  final  and  unconditional 
surrender  preceded  but  a  few  days  the  surrender  of  Port  Hudson, 
to  which  the  52d  Regiment  had  contributed  its  full  share. 

"Is  it  strange  that,  under  the  circumstances,  the  wonderful, 
battle-scarred  city  and  fortifications  of  Vicksburg  should  have  had 
no  attractions  for  us  ? 

"  So  of  Memphis,  so  of  Island  No.  Ten.  We  cared  little  for 
either  as  we  steamed  past :  our  objective  point  was  Massachusetts  ; 
and  nothing  could  divert  our  minds  from  thoughts  of  home  by  day, 
nor  our  gaze  from  the  north  star  by  night. 

"On  the  3oth  of  July  —  seven  days  from  Port  Hudson  —  we 
landed  at  Cairo.  And,  that  my  respected  hearers  not  connected 
with  the  regiment  may  have  some  idea  of  the  slow  speed  of  the 
*  Chouteau/  I  will  say  that  in  1867,  four  years  later,  I  made  the 
entire  distance  from  New  Orleans  to  Cairo, —  one  hundred  and  six 
teen  miles  farther  than  from  Port  Hudson, —  on  the  steamer 
'  Ruth,'  in  four  days  and  a  few  hours. 

"We  found  Gen.  Buford,  of  the  Union  army,  in  command  of 
the  post  at  Cairo,  and  were  very  kindly  received  by  him  and  mem 
bers  of  his  staff.  To  him  we  at  once  applied  for  railroad  transpor 
tation,  via  the  Illinois  Central,  to  Massachusetts  ;  and  so  promptly 


212  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

was  it  furnished  that  we  were  able  to  proceed  on  our  journey  the 
same  day,  July  30.  We  were,  however,  compelled  to  leave  some 
eighteen  of  our  sick  (who  were  unable  to  travel  by  rail  at  the  time) 
in  hospital  at  Mound  City,  111.,  near  Cairo.  Fortunately,  I  am  able 
to  give  their  names.  They  are  as  follows :  Charles  E.  Spear, 
of  Shutesbury ;  J.  H.  Osmond,  of  Orange ;  Amasa  A.  White,  Co. 
B ;  Lorreston  Pierce,  of  Shutesbury ;  George  F.  Bardwell,  of  Deer- 
field  ;  A.  B.  Goodnough  and  Charles  C.  Crittenden,  of  Conway ; 
Watson  W.  Cowles,  of  Amherst ;  J.  W.  P.  Wheelock,  of  Amherst; 
George  M.  Smith,  of  Hadley ;  Henry  A.  Oakley,  Hiram  M.  Bolton, 
of  Winchester,  N.H. ;  Benjamin  Lombard,  of  Hadley ;  Nathan 
Perkins,  Henry  G.  Claghorn,  of  Williamsburg ;  Edward  F.  Hale, 
of  Ashfield;  Truman  Bowman,  of  Co.  F;  and  John  Bascom,  of 
Montague.  George  Wait,  of  Montague, —  a  noble,  big-hearted 
comrade,  who  no  doubt  was  as  anxious  to  return  to  family  and 
friends  as  others,  but  able-bodied  himself, —  magnanimously  vol 
unteered  to  remain  behind,  to  care  for  these  more  unfortunate 
comrades.  Truman  Bowman  also  volunteered  to  remain  behind 
to  care  for  the  sick. 

"  We  left  these  poor  fellows  in  hospital  at  Mound  City,  as  pre 
viously  stated,  on  the  3oth  of  July,  and,  with  hearts  sad  on  their 
account,  proceeded  on  our  journey  home.  Our  route  took  us  to 
Mattoon,  111.,  thence  to  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  thence  to  Marion, 
Ohio,  thence  to  Cleveland,  thence  to  Buffalo,  Rochester,  Syracuse, 
Utica,  and  Albany,  N.Y.,  thence  to  Massachusetts. 

"  At  the  beautiful  little  town  of  Marion,  Ohio,  we  were  met  by 
her  citizens  with  open  arms.  We  were  here  received  with  the 
most  generous  hospitality,  and  for  the  first  time  since  we  sailed 
from  New  York,  Dec.  2,  1862,  were  most  royally  entertained, 
and  in  a  way  never  to  be  forgotten.  Nothing  in  the  way  of  whole 
some  food  or  drink  was  too  good  for  the  tired  and  dusty  soldier. 
It  was  an  oasis  in  the  desert ;  and  to  this  day  I  never  recall  to 
mind  that  occasion  without  a  feeling  of  gratitude  for  those  good 
people  of  Marion,  not  only  on  my  own  account,  but  also  in  behalf 
of  the  regiment." 

From  Church's  journal :  — 

"The  deck  of  the  steamer  had  been  occupied  by  horses,  and 
was  not  so  clean  as  a  decent  man  would  keep  his  stable  with  us. 
At  Cairo  we  were  put  aboard  a  train  of  cars,  and  were  slowly 
whirled  towards  home.  As  we  stopped  at  the  stations  on  the  way, 
the  people  of  the  villages  crowded  about  us,  and  loaded  us  with 


WITHIN    PORT    HUDSON  —  THE   JOURNEY    HOME  213 

provisions  in  abundance.  We  began  to  think  we  had  reached 
God's  country  once  more." 

We  reached  Westfield,  N.Y.,  before  sunrise  Sunday  morning. 
There  our  engine  broke  down.  We  knew  not  how  long  it  would 
take  to  repair  it ;  but,  without  leave  of  the  officers  (we  were  enter 
ing  the  land  of  freedom),  many  of  us  rushed  to  the  houses  of  the 
village,  and  clamored  for  food.  The  inhabitants  were  still  in  bed  ; 
but,  sticking  their  heads  out  of  the  windows,  they  saw  their  village 
invaded  by  as  dirty  and  as  ragged  a  set  of  tramps  as  their  eyes 
ever  rested  upon.  We  made  known  our  wants,  and  they  were 
hastily  supplied,  mainly  with  bread  and  milk ;  for  we  could  not 
wait  for  anything  else,  and  hurried  back,  so  as  not  to  lose  our 
train. 

At  Albany  the  chaplain  was  so  fortunate  as  to  get  several 
pails  of  coffee  for  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  sick  men  aboard. 
Time  was  limited ;  and  he  forgot  to  secure  any  for  himself,  and  so 
fasted  till  the  afternoon,  when  the  train  stopped  for  a  moment  at 
Pittsfield,  where  he  expended  his  last  five-cent  piece  in  two  dough 
nuts  with  which  to  break  a  twenty-four  hours'  fast. 

From  Col.  Greenleaf : — 

"  Soon  Cleveland  was  reached  without  notable  incident,  and 
then  in  due  time  —  although  it  seemed  to  us  the  slowest  on  rec 
ord  —  Buffalo.  Here,  too,  as  at  Marion,  we  were  received  by  the 
people  with  the  utmost  cordiality, —  especially  by  the  whole-souled 
members  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hosmer's  church, —  and  were  gloriously 
welcomed  by  them.  It  was  Sunday;  and  the  good  Dr.  Hosmer, 
having  been  notified  by  his  gallant  soldier-son  —  the  'Corporal  of 
the  Color  Guard '  —  of  the  probable  hour  of  our  arrival,  the  Uni 
tarian  friends  especially  flocked  from  their  church  to  greet  us 
about  the  hour  of  one  o'clock  P.M.  The  New  York  Central  Railroad 
Depot  had  been  extemporized,  practically,  into  a  mammoth  ban 
queting  hall  for  our  use ;  and  all  the  luxuries  to  be  found  in  that 
fine  market,  calculated  to  tempt  the  appetite  of  a  half-starved  sol 
dier,  apparently  had  been  supplied  in  unlimited  quantities.  No 
one  who  never  has  had  army  experience  similar  to  ours  ever  can 
know  how  enjoyable  was  that  reception  by  the  kind  people  of  Buf 
falo,  or  how  blissful  we  were  made  by  the  banquet  in  the  depot 
on  that  second  day  of  August,  1863  ;  and  God  grant  that  no  other 
body  of  men,  either  in  blue  or  gray,  shall  ever  receive,  as  did  the 
52d  Regiment,  the  preliminary  education  requisite  to  the  full  en 
joyment  of  a  reception  and  banquet  like  that !" 


214  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

We  reached  Buffalo,  N.Y.,  about  noon  on  Sunday,  August  2. 
News  of  our  coming  had  been  telegraphed  by  Corp.  Hosmer 
to  his  father,  Dr.  Hosmer,  pastor  of  the  Unitarian  church  in 
that  city.  The  minister  read  the  despatch,  which  was  handed 
to  him  as  he  stood  in  the  pulpit,  to  his  audience.  Further  ser 
vices  were  given  up,  and  the  congregation  met  us  at  the  depot 
with  large  supplies  of  provisions.  The  people  were  very  much 
surprised  at  our  haggard  appearance.  With  tears  in  their  eyes, 
they  filled  our  haversacks,  and  wished  us  a  fervent  Godspeed 
to  our  homes.  The  night  of  Aug.  3,  1863,  we  were  home  again, — 
a  weary,  tired,  worn,  lean,  and  sick  company  of  men  turned 
old  before  their  time. 

One  of  the  most  striking  features  of  our  stop  at  Buffalo  was 
the  contrast  which  the  men  of  the  regiment  presented  to  the  men 
who  were  assembled  to  greet  us.  Our  men  were  walking  skeletons, 
—  ragged,  unkempt  beyond  words  to  express.  Our  appearance 
would  have  been  ludicrous  in  the  extreme  if  it  had  not  presented 
so  sad  a  picture  of  suffering  and  privation.  The  one  distinguish 
ing  feature  in  our  appearance  was  the  great  staring  eyes  of  half- 
starved  men.  Our  hosts  were  clean,  well-fed,  well-dressed  men. 
But  they  treated  us  with  a  cordial  and  abundant  hospitality. 

"  Bidding  the  kind  friends  in  Buffalo  adieu,  we  slowly  took  our 
way  to  Rochester,  where,  for  some  reason  not  now  remembered, 
we  were  detained  until  some  time  into  the  night,  during  which 
time,  the  train  being  at  a  standstill  and  the  thermometer  in  the 
nineties,  we  suffered  greatly  from  the  excessive  heat.  Strange  to 
say,  it  seemed  to  me  that  we  really  suffered  quite  as  much  from 
this  cause  during  our  brief  stay  in  Rochester  as  we  ever  had  done 
from  the  same  cause  in  the  far  distant  South. 

"  One  after  the  other,  Syracuse,  Utica,  and  Albany  were  reached ; 
but,  as  might  have  been  expected,  the  nearer  we  got  to  New  Eng 
land,  the  more  our  train  seemed  to  '  slow  up.'  No  other  train  in 
all  the  world  was  ever  so  slow !  Finally,  we  reach  and  cross  the 
old  Bay  State  line,  and  soon  after  the  picturesque  town  of  Hins- 
dale,  the  home  of  some  of  the  'boys'  of  Co.  I;  and  here  they 
leave  us,  to  meet  again  in  Greenfield  on  the  i/j.th  of  the  month. 
Springfield  comes  next.  Here  we  take  by  the  hand  a  few  old 
friends  who  have  come  down  the  river  to  meet  us,  and  here  tele 
grams  from  still  other  friends  begin  to  come  in.  At  Greenfield 
another  reception  and  banquet  is  to  be  tendered  the  Franklin 
County  *  boys  '  who  may  reach  this  last  station  of  our  long,  tedious 
route. 


WITHIN    PORT    HUDSON THE    JOURNEY    HOME  215 

"  Co.  C,  Co.  G,  Co.  H,  Co.  K,  and  Co.  I  leave  the  train  at  North 
ampton.  Comrade  Gere,  then  the  late  polite  and  efficient  post- 
postmaster  of  Baton  Rouge,  now  the  accomplished  veteran  sec 
retary  and  treasurer  of  the  regiment,  had  anticipated  somewhat 
our  arrival.  His  tall,  familiar,  commanding  figure  was  the  first  to 
greet  our  longing  eyes  as  we  pulled  up  to  the  Northampton  station. 
He  served  his  country  well ;  has  served  the  regiment  exceeding 
well  since;  is  a  good  citizen;  'and  may  his  shadow  never  be 
less  ! '  But  again  I  digress. 

"  Co.  D  takes  leave  of  the  remaining  companies  at  Deerfield,  so 
that  only  Co.  E,  Co.  F,  Co.  B,  and  Co.  A  are  left  to  be  enter 
tained  by  the  dear  friends  of  Greenfield. 

"  Thus  what  remained  of  this  gallant,  war-worn,  '  schoolmaster  ' 
regiment  returned  to  the  place  from  which,  on  Nov.  20,  1862, 
it  started  for  the  front,  nine  hundred  and  thirty-nine  strong, — 
to  the  pleasant  village  in  which  it  was  organized;  to  the  lonely 
camp  in  which,  on  the  ist  of  October,  1862,  it  pitched  its  first 
tents, —  returned  on  the  third  day  of  August,  1863. 

"  The  Greenfield  Gazette  and  Courier,  issued  a  few  days  later, 
made  mention  of  the  return  of  this  remnant  of  the  regiment  in 
these  words :  '  The  train  was  met  at  the  depot,  at  the  south  of 
Cheapside  bridge,  by  a  large  concourse  of  our  citizens,  with  the 
band  and  No.  2  Engine  Company  bearing  torches.  As  the  train 
came  to  a  stop,  the  returned  volunteers  were  greeted  with  loud 
cheers,  and  the  band  struck  up  "Sweet  Home."  ' 

"  Carriages  were  on  hand  to  convey  the  sick  to  Franklin  Hall, 
which  had  been  converted  into  a  hospital,  beds  having  been  placed 
there  and  every  convenience  for  sick  men,  with  a  plenty  of  at 
tendants,  both  male  and  female.  The  sick  were  soon  conveyed  to 
the  hall,  where  twenty-two  of  them  remained  through  the  night, 
several  being  very  sick. 

"Those  who  were  able  to  ride  were  taken  home  by  their  friends. 
Those  of  the  regiment  who  were  well  were  escorted  to  Washington 
Hall,  where  our  citizens  had  set  tables  loaded  with  refreshments 
of  all  kinds,  which  were  partaken  of  with  the  relish  of  hungry  men. 
The  hall  was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity  with  the  friends  of  the 
soldiers  from  this  and  the  neighboring  towns,  and  their  greeting 
was  a  hearty  one. 

"There  were  some  sad  hearts  present,  however.  A  father,  a 
wife,  and  brothers  first  heard  on  the  arrival  of  the  regiment,  or 
by  telegraph  while  waiting  its  arrival,  of  the  death  of  a  son, 


2l6  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

husband,  or  brother  whom  they  had  come  into  the  village  to  wel 
come  home." 

From  Col.  Greenleaf  :  — 

"  We  numbered  on  our  return  seven  hundred  and  ninety-four,  all 
told,  eighty-five  of  our  number  having  died  of  disease,  and  eleven 
having  been  killed  in  battle,  or  died  from  wounds  received  in 
battle. 

"Monday  evening,  August  3,  the  regiment,  what  was  left  of  it, 
was  met  at  the  south  end  of  Cheapside  bridge  (the  bridge  had 
been  burned  a  few  days  before)  by  a  large  concourse  of  our 
citizens  with  a  band ;  and,  when  the  train  came  to  a  stop,  the  return 
volunteers  were  greeted  with  loud  cheers  as  the  band  struck  up 
'  Sweet  Home.'  Those  of  the  regiment  who  were  able  were  es 
corted  to  Washington  Hall,  where  the  citizens  had  set  tables 
loaded  with  refreshments  of  all  kinds,  to  be  partaken  of  with  the 
relish  of  hungry  men.  Among  the  multitude  present  there  were 
some  sad  hearts,  a  father,  a  wife,  and  sisters,  first  hearing,  on 
the  arrival  of  the  regiment,  or  by  telegraph  while  waiting  its 
arrival,  of  the  death  of  a  son,  husband,  or  brother  whom  they  had 
come  into  the  village  to  welcome  home.  One  father  exclaimed 
with  choked  utterance,  *  I  came  here  expecting  to  welcome  my 
son  alive  and  well,  but  he  is  dead.'  Another  was  informed  that 
his  only  son  had  been  left  behind  in  a  low  condition. 

"  But  few  changes  had  been  made  in  the  field,  staff,  or  line,  from 
the  time  of  our  organization  in  October,  1862,  as  a  regiment,  to 
the  expiration  of  our  term  of  service  in  1863  j  and,  as  our  term  of 
service  had  long  since  expired,  it  now  only  remained  for  us  to  be 
formally  '  mustered  out,'  and  this  was  done  in  due  form  on  the 
fourteenth  day  of  August,  each  discharged  soldier  receiving  a  cer 
tificate  of  honorable  discharge. 

"Thus  ends  my  somewhat  disconnected  reminiscences  of  the 
52d  Regiment  of  Massachusetts  Volunteers, —  as  fine  a  regiment, 
I  believe,  as  ever  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States.  I  would  that  these  reminiscences  were  more  worthy  of 
your  consideration ;  but,  such  as  they  are,  you  now  have  them  with 
my  earnest  blessing. 

"  You,  my  old  comrades,  like  myself,  entered  the  service  of  our 
country  from  patriotic  motives,  with  little  knowledge  of  the  art  of 
war.  You  left  that  service  with  honor  to  yourselves,  a  chivalrous 
body  of  men,  accomplished  soldiers,  well  versed  in  that  art.  From 
that  memorable  day  you  have  properly  taken  rank  with  the  '  Veter 
ans  of  the  Union  Army.' 


WITHIN    PORT    HUDSON  —  THE   JOURNEY    HOME  217 

"  Claiming  nothing  for  myself,  but  speaking  rather  in  your  be 
half  in  what  I  now  have  to  say,  what  patriotic  heart,  let  me  ask, 
would  not  be  stirred  as  are  uttered  these  most  eloquent  words, 
*  Veterans  of  the  Union  Army  '  ?  We  are  thrilled  again  with  high 
resolves,  we  hear  again  the  bugle-call,  we  view  again  the  mar 
shalled  hosts.  Do  people  realize  what  these  silent  words,  '  Veter 
ans  of  the  Union  Army,'  imply  ?  Do  they  realize  that  these  five 
words  stand  for  whole  volumes  of  the  most  thrilling  American 
history,  both  written  and  unwritten  ?  That  better  and  more  truly 
than  any  others  can  these  words  express  love  of  country,  loyalty  to 
the  old  flag  1  They  tell  the  story  of  desolate  hearthstones  and 
sundered  family  ties ;  of  bereaved  parents,  weeping  children,  dis 
consolate  maidens;  of  physical  daring  and  courage  unsurpassed  in 
the  history  of  the  world ;  of  mental  and  physical  suffering  greater 
than  men  could  bear. 

"  They  speak  of  the  sentry's  midnight  watch  ;  of  the  attack,  the 
repulse,  the  retreat ;  of  the  clash  of  arms,  the  '  hum  '  and  '  ziz ' 
of  musket-shot,  the  roar  of  cannon,  the  shriek  of  murderous 
shell,  the  dying  and  the  dead.  They  recall  Sherman's  grand 
march  to  the  sea.  They  remind  us  of  the  unmerciful  forced  march 
beneath  a  broiling  Southern  summer's  sun  ;  of  the  far-off,  tented 
field  ;  of  the  ever-present  ambulance ;  of  the  military  hospital ;  of 
the  Confederate  prison  ;  of  ignominious  defeat ;  of  glorious  victory  ! 
They  tell  the  story  of  Fair  Oaks  and  Malvern  Hill ;  of  Manassas 
and  Antietam ;  of  Shiloh  and  Gettysburg ;  of  Chattanooga  and 
Cold  Harbor ;  of  Vicksburg,  and  Port  Hudson  and  Red  River ; 
of  New  Orleans  and  Mobile  ;  of  Savannah  and  Charleston  and 
Richmond. 

"  Except  for  the  '  Veterans  of  the  Union  Army, '  what,  think 
you,  would  long  since  have  become  of  our  boasted  republican 
form  of  government,  of  our  beloved  Union  under  the  Constitution, 
of  the  great  United  States  of  America?  This  magnificent  country 
of  ours,  greater  and  grander  far  than  any  other  on  the  face  of 
the  globe,  whether  ruled  by  queen  or  king  or  president, —  now  in- 
fact,  as  heretofore  in  name,  '  the  land  of  the  free  and  home  of  the 
brave,' — in  my  humble  judgment,  owes  more  of  its  genuine  prosper 
ity,  more  of  its  true  glory,  to  the  patriotic  service  of  the  '  Veterans 
of  the  Union  Army '  in  '  the  days  that  tried  men's  souls '  than  ever 
can  be  paid. 

"  Still  claiming  nothing  for  myself,  let  me  say  that,  do  what  we 
may  and  can  for  those  who  survive,  they  and  their  children  and 
their  children's  children  will  be  their  country's  creditors  still. 


2l8  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

"  And  that  all  the  blessings  of  liberty  and  union  secured  to  us 
by  the  valor  of  our  Union  soldiers,  during  the  late  war,  may  be 
vouchsafed  to  each  succeeding  generation  in  all  the  years  to  come, 
will  never  cease  to  be  the  hope  of  every  true  patriot  in  the  land, — 
yea,  of  every  genuine  lover  of  mankind  in  other  lands ! 

"  To  this  end,  let  all  who  crave  these  inestimable  blessings,  now 
and  forever,  stand  firmly  by  the  principles  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  and  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United 
States. 

"  Unselfishly,  we  rendered  military  service  :  unselfishly,  let  us 
now  render  civil  service." 


One  of  the  pleasant  duties  of  the  chaplain  was  to  serve  as  post 
master  to  the  regiment.  Preaching  sermons  was  a  subordinate 
duty :  very  few  sermons  were  preached.  While  the  regiment  was 
in  camp  at  Baton  Rouge,  we  sent  away  about  300  letters  a  day. 
We  received  as  many  as  we  sent.  The  mails  of  course  were  very 
irregular,  and  no  conjecture  could  be  formed  when  one  would  arrive. 
Ours  were  usually  brought  by  the  steamer  "  Iberville  "  ;  and,  when 
her  deep  puffs  were  heard  at  a  distance  down  the  river,  they  never 
failed  to  make  a  commotion  in  camp.  "  A  mail !  a  mail !  "  was 
heard  from  all  quarters  ;  and,  whether  by  day  or  by  night,  there  was 
no  peace  till  the  mail  was  secured.  The  chaplain  on  his  black 
horse  —  on  the  whole,  an  honored  member  of  the  regiment,  in  spite 
of  her  occasional  pranks  —  hurried  to  the  landing  two  miles  away, 
and  sometimes  returned  as  empty  as  he  went,  and  at  other  times 
leading  his  horse,  while  two  men  walked  by  her  side  to  hold  the 
plethoric  mail-bags  from  falling  to  the  ground.  The  arrival  in 
camp  under  these  conditions  was  a  grand  triumphal  march,  in 
which  the  cheers  of  the  men  were  liberally  bestowed  on  the  chap 
lain,  his  horse,  and  the  load.  One  must  have  been  a  stranger  in 
a  strange  land  to  appreciate  the  welcome  given  to  a  mail  from 
home.  The  arrival  of  the  mail  was  the  happiest  event  in  our 
army  life. 

After  the  mail  was  disposed  of,  the  chaplain  must  make  the 
rounds  of  the  various  hospitals,  of  which  there  were  several  in 
Baton  Rouge,  and  always  crowded  with  patients.  Here  he  must 
find  and  look  to  the  wants  of  all  members  of  the  52d  Regiment 
who  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  consigned  to  the  hospital.  The 
regimental  hospital  was  an  empty  saloon  called  the  "  Rainbow," 


WITHIN    PORT    HUDSON  —  THE   JOURNEY    HOME  219 

in  which  we  had  twenty  or  thirty,  sometimes  fifty,  sick  men  lying 
upon  the  floor,  with  their  blankets  for  their  beds  and  their  knap 
sacks  for  their  pillows.  In  various  other  places,  especially  the 
general  hospital,  in  which  several  hundred  sick  men  were  congre 
gated,  the  boys  of  the  52d  Regiment  were  to  be  found.  All  these 
the  chaplain  must  visit  as  often  as  he  could.  Sometimes  he  had 
only  a  word  to  speak,  a  question  to  ask ;  at  other  times  to  deliver 
or  receive  messages,  read  or  write  letters ;  sometimes  a  prayer  to 
offer  or  advice  to  give  ;  sometimes  a  word  of  cheer  and  hope  of  a 
speedy^recovery  to  whisper  into  the  ear,  but  whispered  so  silently 
that  the  next  comrade  could  not  hear  it,  for  to  him  no  word  of 
hope  of  recovery  could  be  spoken.  It  was  not  much  the  chaplain 
could  do,  but  I  am  sure  the  word  of  sympathy  was  not  spoken  in 
vain.  These  visits  to  the  hospital  were  sad  occasions.  The  loneli 
ness  of  the  men,  their  homesickness,  the  absence  of  home  comforts, 
made  their  cases  in  times  of  sickness  very  trying.  After  these 
visits  were  over  for  the  day  there  followed  an  experience  even 
more  depressing.  Death  overtook  many  of  our  men  as  the  result 
of  the  great  change  of  climate  and  the  exposures  of  camp  life. 
For  two  months  of  our  stay  in  winter  quarters  in  Baton  Rouge  a 
funeral  was  almost  a  daily  occurrence.  Nothing  could  be  more  sad 
and  solemn  than  these  military  funerals.  A  procession  of  soldiers 
with  arms  reversed,  muffled  drums  and  fifes  playing  a  funeral 
march,  a  baggage  wagon  drawn  by  two  mules,  containing  the  body 
of  our  dead  comrade,  laid  in  a  rude  pine  box,  a  few  intimate  friends 
of  his  company,  and  lastly  the  chaplain  on  horseback, —  such  a 
procession  made  its  way  almost  daily,  sadly  and  slowly,  to  the  lit 
tle  cemetery  just  outside  the  city,  which  had  once  been  neatly  kept, 
but  now  the  fences  had  been  torn  down,  the  paths  neglected,  and 
everywhere  were  signs  of  the  desolation  war  leaves  in  its  path.  A 
brief  service  was  held  at  the  grave,  a  volley  fired  over  it,  and  in  a 
few  days  a  pine  board  rudely  lettered  would  mark  the  spot.  After 
we  had  entered  into  more  active  service  and  had  become  more  in 
ured  to  scenes  of  death,  the  funerals  were  far  less  formal,  and  at 
last  well-nigh  ceased  altogether. 

I  cannot  bring  these  reminiscences,  both  sad  and  pleasant,  to 
an  end  without  testifying  to  the  almost  universal  cheerfulness  of 
the  men  in  the  most  trying  circumstances.  The  grumbling  was 
mostly  when  the  men  were  well-fed  and  idle  in  camp.  The  sickness 
and  hardship  were  courageously  borne.  Men  under  these  condi 
tions  seldom  regretted  that  they  had  enlisted,  even  when  death 


220  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

was  staring  them  in  the  face.  To  my  oft-repeated  question  to  sick 
men,  lying  upon  the  ground  with  no  bed  but  their  blankets  and  no 
pillow  but  their  knapsack,  if  I  could  do  anything  for  them,  the 
usual  answer  was,  "  No,  nothing :  I  have  all  I  need."  They 
seemed  to  appreciate  the  fact  that  there  was  little  we  could  do. 
I  should  like  to  speak  of  individual  instances  of  patience  and  hero 
ism,  but  must  forbear.  And  I  close  by  bearing  testimony  to  the 
kind  treatment  and  courtesy  which  all  the  members  of  the  regi 
ment  manifested  toward  the  chaplain.  They  were  ready  to  help 
me  in  every  way  they  could.  They  were  all  to  me  as  personal 
friends,  and  I  shall  remember  to  the  end  of  life  the  thousand 
acts  of  kindness  and  good  will  I  received  alike  from  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  52d  Regiment. 


ROSTER 


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NOTES 


NOTES. 


NOTE    A. 

Lieut.  Col.  Samuel  John  Storrs  was  born  in  Holliston,  Nov.  22,  1837. 
He  graduated  from  Amherst  College  in  1860,  and  at  once  became  prin 
cipal  of  the  High  School  in  Amherst,  and  remained  such  until  his  en 
listment.  He  was  a  successful  teacher,  and  gained  the  respect  and 
good  will,  not  only  of  his  pupils,  but  of  the  citizens  of  the  town.  He 
was  highly  esteemed  by  them  all.  After  his  enlistment  in  Co.  G  the 
choice  fell  on  Col.  Storrs  almost  unanimously  for  captain,  and  the  com 
pany  congratulated  itself  on  its  fortune  in  securing  a  leader  of  such 
sterling  qualities.  These  admirable  characteristics  and  his  fine  form 
soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  line  officers  ;  and,  when  the  field  offi 
cers  were  chosen,  he  was  made  lieutenant  colonel.  This  promotion  was 
a  severe  disappointment  to  Co.  G,  and  placed  it  at  a  disadvantage  until 
the  gallant  Capt.  George  S.  Bliss  was  found.  The  company  testified  to 
their  appreciation  of  their  promoted  captain  by  presenting  him  with  a 
sword  and  a  sash  appropriate  to  his  new  rank.  Col.  Storrs's  services 
with  the  regiment  are  known  to  the  whole  command,  and  need  not  be 
reviewed  here.  He  was  always  ready  for  every  service  required  of  him, 
faithful  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty,  and  conscientious  above  most 
men  in  all  his  official  acts.  After  the  return  of  the  regiment  he  went 
to  New  York  City,  studied  law  at  Columbia  College  Law  School,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1866.  His  life  from  that  time  was  spent  in 
that  city  in  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession.  He  led  a  quiet, 
unpretending  life,  and  made  many  firm  and  lasting  friends.  His  clients 
were  business  men,  and  became  warmly  attached  to  him ;  and  he  had 
their  confidence  in  an  unusual  degree.  He  was  a  sound  lawyer,  a 
man  of  cool  and  reliable  judgment,  and  of  sterling  integrity.  Of  one 
thing  his  clients  and  friends  were  sure,  he  could  be  thoroughly  trusted. 
His  prominent  characteristic  was  his  conscientiousness.  No  man  had 
a  more  manly  or  more  sterling  character  than  he.  He  was  active  in 
church  work  and  in  all  good  works  of  every  kind, —  a  thorough,  Chris 
tian  gentleman.  May  21,  1871,  he  married  Miss  Julia  A.  Lament,  of 
New  York.  He  died  July  23,  1892,  from  heart  failure,  resulting  from 
a  severe  surgical  operation,  from  which  recovery  was  confidently  ex 
pected.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 


Hv  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 


NOTE    B. 

Jefford  Marshall  Decker,  adjutant  of  the  regiment,  was  born  in 
Wiscasset,  Me.,  March  6,  1814,  and  was  a  soldier  both  by  nature  and 
education.  For  thirty  (30)  years  before  the  war  for  the  Union  he  had 
been  an  active  member  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Militia.  He  had 
served  as  captain  of  a  company  in  Lawrence,  captain  of  Co.  G  in 
Greenfield,  and  colonel  of  the  loth  Regiment.  In  addition  to  these 
thirty  years  militia  service,  he  had  held  the  commission  of  lieutenant 
colonel  of  the  loth  Regiment  Massachusetts  Volunteers  during  thirteen 
(13)  months'  active  service  in  the  field,  prior  to  his  enlistment  in  the 
52d  Regiment. 

While  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  in  camp  at  Brightwood,  D.C., 
during  the  winter  of  '61-62,  Lieut.  Col.  Decker  was  temporarily  assigned 
to  the  command  of  the  7th  Massachusetts  Regiment,  which  position  he 
filled  most  acceptably.  He  served  with  distinction  in  this  army  until 
the  3ist  of  May,  1862,  on  which  day  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks  was  fought. 
Soon  after  this,  on  the  iyth  of  July,  his  health  having  failed  him,  he 
was  honorably  discharged  the  service. 

During  Decker's  long  experience  as  private,  captain,  and  colonel  in 
the  militia  organizations  of  the  State  he  not  only  thoroughly  mastered 
Scott's  "Military  Tactics,"  —  recognized  as  the  best  military  authority 
of  the  times, —  but  also  became  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  "Army 
Regulations,"  published  by  the  government  for  the  regulation  and 
government  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States. 

This  knowledge,  so  essential  to  the  efficient  soldier,  thus  obtained, 
was  utilized  to  the  fullest  extent  by  him  as  drill-master  and  dis 
ciplinarian. 

Soon  after  his  discharge  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  permission 
was  given  by  Gov.  Andrew  to  raise  the  52d  Regiment,  with  the  privi 
lege  of  electing  its  own  line  and  field  officers.  When  the  line  officers 
had  been  elected  by  their  respective  companies,  it  became  necessary  for 
them  to  elect  the  several  field  officers ;  and,  as  Decker  had,  in  the  mean 
time,  so  far  recovered  his  health  as  to  be  willing  to  re-enter  the  service 
of  his  country,  certain  of  the  line  officers  naturally  sought  to  give  him 
the  command  of  the  new  regiment.  But,  upon  being  informed  of  this 
fact,  his  Excellency  Gov.  Andrew  authorized  the  statement  that  he 
should  refuse  to  commission  him,  for  the  reason  that  reports  had  reached 
him  to  the  effect  that  "  Decker  had  shown  the  white  feather  at  Fair 
Oaks ! "  This  announcement  from  Gov.  Andrew,  as  was  intended, 
proved  fatal  to  the  wishes  of  Decker  and  his  friends  as  to  the  colonelcy, 
whereupon  the  captain  of  Co.  E,  who  had  not  sought  or  expected  the 
honor,  was  nominated  for,  and  in  due  time  elected,  commander  of  the 
regiment. 


NOTES  lv 

The  newly  elected  colonel,  desiring  to  secure  for  the  regiment  the 
benefit  of  Col  Decker's  invaluable  services,  appointed  him  quarter 
master.  The  patriotic  and  conscientious  governor  peremptorily  refused 
to  commission  him,  and  for  the  same  reason  previously  given ;  namely, 
alleged  misconduct  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy. 

When  this  decision  of  Gov.  Andrew  was  made  known  to  Decker, 
he  said  firmly:  "Well,  colonel,  I  will  go  with  you,  anyway.  If  I  cannot 
go  as  quartermaster,  I  will  go  with  you  as  a  private.  Please  let  me 
see  the  enlistment  roll ! "  The  roll  was  handed  him,  and  without  a 
moment's  hesitation  he  signed  his  name  to  it. 

This  manly  and  courageous  act  on  the  part  of  Decker  greatly  moved 
Col.  Greenleaf,  so  that,  still  believing  in  his  innocence,  and  still  deter 
mined,  if  possible,  to  avail  himself  of  the  services  of  this  soldier  on  his 
staff,  he  at  once  resolved  on  the  vindication  of  his  would-be  quarter 
master  from  the  unjust  charge  of  cowardice.  With  this  object  in  view, 
he  at  once  called  upon  the  late  Wendell  T.  Davis,  Esq.,  of  Greenfield. 
A  mutual  friend  made  known  to  him  the  situation,  expressed  to  him 
briefly  his  confidence  in  Decker  and  his  desire  to  make  him  a  member 
of  his  staff,  and  requested  him  (Davis)  to  go  immediately  to  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  then  in  Virginia,  and  obtain  for  him  duly  executed 
affidavits  from  members  of  the  loth  Massachusetts  Volunteers  with  re 
spect  to  Decker's  conduct  at  Fair  Oaks.  Mr.  Davis  generously  com 
plied  with  this  request,  and  forthwith  started  for  the  front.  No  time 
was  to  be  lost.  The  enlistment  roll  was  signed  in  the  morning,  and  Mr. 
Davis  left  Greenfield  on  his  patriotic  mission  in  the  evening  of  the 
same  day. 

In  a  few  days  he  returned,  bringing  with  him  the  desired  affidavits 
from  officers  of  the  loth  Massachusetts  who  were  cognizant  of  the  facts, 
including  one  from  Gen.  Henry  S.  Briggs,  who  had  commanded  the  regi 
ment  up  to  the  day  that  the  battle  was  fought.  These  affidavits,  four 
or  five  in  number,  were  all  in  Decker's  favor.  They  exonerated  him 
fully  and  completely  from  the  charge  that  had  reached  the  governor's 
ears. 

Col.  Greenleaf  promptly  laid  these  affidavits  before  his  Excellency  in 
person.  They  had  much  the  intended  effect.  They  were  sufficient  to 
satisfy  Gov.  Andrew  that  the  charge  of  "white  feather"  against  Lieut. 
Col.  Decker  was  unfounded ;  and  yet  he  was  still  unwilling  to  confirm 
the  appointment  of  quartermaster,  on  the  ground  that  that  position 
would  not  enable  him  to  sufficiently  prove  his  courage,  which  was  the 
point  in  question.  Accordingly,  the  appointment  of  quartermaster  was 
withdrawn,  and  Private  Decker  was  appointed  adjutant  of  the  regiment, 
which  position  he  cheerfully  accepted,  and  in  due  time  was  commissioned 
by  the  good  governor  as  such. 

Rarely,  if  ever,  in  the  history  of  this  country,  either  in  peace  or  war, 
has  the  office  of  adjutant  been  filled  by  a  better  soldier  than  was  Jefford 


Ivi  HISTORY    OF    THE    52D    REGIMENT 

Marshall  Decker.  He  served  the  520!  Regiment  most  faithfully  and 
efficiently  from  the  time  it  left  Camp  Miller,  November,  1862,  until  the 
I3th  of  June,  1863,  when,  his  health  having  again  failed  him,  the  colonel 
ordered  him  to  the  hospital  in  the  rear.  From  that  date  he  never  saw 
another  well  day.  He  died  —  this  genial,  kindly,  resolute  soldier,  one 
of  the  many  martyrs  to  the  Union  cause  —  at  Salem,  Mass.,  Jan.  i,  1870. 


NOTE    C. 

Alanson  B.  Long  was  born  in  Greenfield,  Franklin  County,  Mass., 
A.D.  1837.  His  father,  Lemuel  Long,  was  a  farmer,  genial  and  hospita 
ble,  from  whom  the  son  inherited  in  a  large  degree  that  spirit  of  good 
fellowship  which  was  one  of  his  strong  characteristics.  Of  the  fond, 
devoted  mother,  we  have  only  to  say  that  she  was  all  that  sacred  name 
implies.  By  energetic  effort,  Alanson  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  advan 
tages  of  a  liberal  education,  and  in  due  time  graduated  from  Dartmouth 
College  and  entered  Harvard  Law  School.  Here,  unfortunately,  he  over 
tasked  himself  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  was  smitten  with  paraly 
sis.  After  months  of  suffering  he  so  far  regained  his  strength  as  to 
make  a  sailing  voyage  to  Europe  and  California,  by  which  he  was 
greatly  benefited.  On  his  return  to  New  England  he  had  so  far  re 
covered  as  to  be  able  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  principal  of  the 
Greenfield  High  School,  which  position  he  was  occupying  when  the 
52d  Regiment  was  recruited  in  the  counties  of  Franklin  and  Hampshire. 
He  at  once  enlisted,  and  accepted  the  captaincy  of  Co.  A.  His  life  as 
a  soldier  is  briefly  told. 

Untiring  in  his  devotion  to  duty,  Capt.  Long  looked  carefully  after 
the  welfare  of  the  men  under  his  command,  and  most  cheerfully  met 
every  demand  made  upon  him  while  in  the  service,  even  rising  from  his 
sick-bed  in  the  hospital,  at  Port  Hudson  at  midnight,  and  walking  three 
miles  to  join  his  regiment,  when  he  learned  it  had  been  ordered  to  par 
ticipate  in  the  memorable  assault  of  the  I4th  of  June,  1863. 

After  the  return  of  the  52d  to  Massachusetts  Capt.  Long  read  law  for 
a  time  in  the  office  of  Judge  E.  R.  Hoar,  but  soon  returned  South,  where 
he  ultimately  finished  his  law  studies  in  the  University  of  Louisiana,  and 
was  admitted,  April,  1866,  to  the  Louisiana  bar,  before  which  he  became 
a  successful  practitioner.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  United  States 
District  Attorney  of  Louisiana,  and  his  prospects  were  bright  for  a  long 
and  honorable  career.  To  quote  from  an  article  published  in  the  New 
Orleans  Picayune  soon  after  his  decease :  "  He  was  a  very  handsome 
man,  considerably  above  the  ordinary  stature,  well  built,  with  an  ex 
tremely  pleasant  and  open  countenance,  bright,  dark  eyes,  and  genial 
smile.  His  manner  even  to  acquaintances  was  exceedingly  cordial;  and, 


NOTES  Ivii 

even  when  pressed  with  business,  he  found  time  to  give  a  pleasant  greet 
ing  or  to  impart  any  information.  ...  He  never  forgot  that  he  was  a 
gentleman ;  and  the  best  evidence  of  this  lies  in  the  fact  that  here  in  the 
South,  which  he  had  aided  to  overcome,  there  lives  not  a  human  being 
who  knew  him  but  entertained  the  kindliest  feeling  for  him."  Alas 
that  this  life  so  bright  and  full  of  grand  possibilities  was  so  soon  to  be 
closed  on  earth  !  Ever  faithful  to  duty,  Capt.  Long  was  true  to  the  grave 
responsibilities  of  the  district  attorney's  office,  which  at  that  time  — 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  —  were  extremely  trying  and  compli 
cated.  There  had  always  lingered  about  him  traces  of  his  paralytic 
trouble,  which  manifested  itself  in  a  noticeable  thickening  of  his 
speech  when  he  was  overfatigued :  and  the  arduous  duties  of  his  posi 
tion  brought  on  a  fresh  disturbance  of  his  nervous  system,  resulting  in 
his  death  in  New  Orleans,  Oct.  30,  1870.  A  post  mortem  examination 
revealed  the  fact  that  the  membranes  of  the  brain  were  congested,  and 
that  there  was  an  effusion  on  the  brain  of  about  four  ounces  of  serum. 
The  physician  who  reported  the  autopsy  closed  his  report  with  these 
words :  "  A  brain  of  the  size  of  his,  and  of  so  fine  a  quality  and  surface, 
is  a  sure  indication  of  great  mental  power  and  splendid  intellect,  and 
could  his  life  have  been  spared,  in  health  of  body,  years  would  have 
developed  him  a  man  of  gigantic  powers  of  mind." 

This  sketch  of  one  of  nature's  noblemen,  whose  earth  life  closed  when 
he  was  but  thirty-three  years  of  age,  would  be  incomplete  without  a 
word  respecting  his  integrity  and  his  unselfishness.  Men  of  business  in 
New  Orleans  have  spoken  of  his  integrity  as  something  phenomenal. 
Standing  where  others  fell  amid  the  temptations  that  surrounded  young 
men  in  the  South  during  this  transition  period,  Alanson  B.  Long  never 
forgot  the  purity  of  his  New  England  home  training.  His  manliness 
had  ever  the  true  ring.  Of  his  forgetfulness  of  self,  those  who  were 
the  recipients  of  his  tender  care  and  devotion  will  ever  bear  witness. 
The  last  time  he  was  in  Greenfield,  August,  1870,  he  lifted  the  mort 
gage  from  his  father's  farm,  and  evidenced  his  provident  care  for  his 
only  sister.  At  this  time  he  said  to  a  friend,  "  I  think  I  have  made  all 
comfortable,  and  I  can  now  begin  to  plan  a  home  life  for  myself.''  Once 
before,  in  a  conversation  with  this  friend,  he  had  said,  "  I  have  looked 
death  in  the  face  every  day  for  too  many  years  to  have  it  seem  alto 
gether  that  of  a  foe."  Perhaps  on  that  sad  October  afternoon,  when 
Death  found  him  quite  alone,  it  seemed  to  his  tired  eyes  the  face  of  a 
friend.  Brave,  tender,  manly  soul !  Massachusetts  sent  out  in  the  52d 
Regiment  no  worthier  son. 


Iviil  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 


NOTE   D. 

THE   EPISODE   OF    PATRICK    CONOLLY. 

After  we  had  been  in  camp  several  weeks  and  had  received  several 
mails  from  home,  I  saw  a  little  Irish  fellow,  Pat  Conolly,  looking  sad 
and  disconsolate,  while  the  others  were  reading  their  freshly  received 
letters.  I  asked  him  if  he  had  not  received  any  letters  that  morning. 
He  replied :  "  No.  There  is  no  one  to  write  to  me.  I  never  had  a 
letter  in  my  life."  "Have  you  no  relatives?"  I  asked.  "No,"  he 
said,  "  not  one."  I  learned  his  story,  and  took  care  ever  afterward  to 
have  a  kind  word  for  him  whenever  I  met  him,  which  he  repaid  with  the 
abundant  affection  of  a  warm  and  generous  nature.  If,  when  on  guard 
or  picket,  he  was  able  to  secure  a  canteen  of  milk  or  some  fresh  eggs, 
he  was  careful  to  see  that  the  chaplain  had  a  share.  On  the  night  after 
the  battle  at  Irish  Bend  I  secured  a  length  of  rail  fence  for  my  own  use, 
while  the  rest  was  speedily  turned  into  kindling-wood,  to  cook  the  coffee 
for  supper.  I  took  off  the  top  rails  and  laid  them  over  the  bottom  ones 
to  secure  a  shelter  for  the  night.  While  thus  employed,  Pat  came  up, 
and  said  he  was  looking  for  me,  as  he  had  heard  I  was  sick  and  without 
any  blanket.  I  told  him  it  was  true.  I  was  a  good  deal  used  up,  and 
my  blanket  was  on  my  horse,  and  the  horse  had  been  left  behind,  and 
would  not  be  up  for  a  day  or  two.  Pat  at  once  offered  to  share  his 
blanket  with  me.  I  declined,  as  kindly  as  I  could.  Pat  was  not  neat ; 
and  I  knew  that,  if  I  accepted  his  offer  to  share  his  blanket,  I  should 
have  more  bed-fellows  than  I  wanted.  The  next  morning  we  were 
aroused  before  sunrise.  As  I  crawled  out  from  under  the  rails,  Pat 
stood  by  waiting  to  offer  to  carry  my  haversack.  He  had  his  own  gun, 
cartridge-box,  knapsack,  and  haversack  to  carry.  I  told  him  we  were  to 
have  a  forced  march  that  day,  and  he  must  look  out  for  himself.  He 
was  heavily  loaded.  I  had  nothing  but  my  empty  haversack.  It  was  a 
hard  march.  At  night  our  horses  came  up,  and  I  had  a  blanket  to  wrap 
about  me  as  we  lay  in  an  open  field. 

The  next  day  I  found  Pat,  as  our  straggling  line  made  its  way  over 
the  broad  plains  of  Western  Louisiana.  He  had  confiscated  a  horse, 
which  he  was  leading  by  a  rope.  Too  unselfish  to  ride,  he  had  piled  as 
many  knapsacks  of  Co.  B's  men  as  he  could  upon  the  horse,  and  thus 
relieved  the  tired  and  foot-sore  men  of  a  portion  of  their  burden.  At 
night  Pat's  horse  and  the  chaplain's  were  tied  side  by  side,  and  shared 
their  rations  between  them,  Pat  close  by  as  guard  to  both.  The  next 
day  came  an  order  to  have  all  confiscated  horses  turned  over  to  the 
quartermaster.  I  was  eager  to  save  Pat's  horse  for  the  good  he  was 
doing  the  company  in  carrying  their  knapsacks.  While  I  was  meditat 
ing  how  we  could  save  the  horse,  the  quartermaster  rode  up,  and  ordered 


NOTES  Hx 

the  knapsacks  off  and  the  horse  turned  over  to  him.  Some  one  near 
me  called  out,  "  That  is  the  lieutenant  colonel's  horse,  sir."  "  Well,  let 
him  go  then,"  replied  the  quartermaster.  It  was  a  stretch  of  the  truth, 
but  it  was  not  the  first  time  the  truth  was  stretched  all  it  would  bear 
during  the  war.  Pat  kept  his  horse  through  all  that  long  march,  and 
then  turned  him  over  to  the  quartermaster. 

All  went  well  with  Pat  till  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson.  On  the  day 
before  the  assault  of  the  I4th  of  June  Pat  was  made  very  happy  by  the 
arrival  of  two  letters  which  I  had  caused  to  be  written  to  him,  one  by 
my  wife.  He  showed  them  to  me  with  great  delight.  He  passed  un 
scathed  through  the  fierce  battle  of  June  14.  But  the  next  day,  as  he 
lay  behind  a  log,  quite  near  the  enemy's  works,  he  thought  he  saw  a 
head  he  could  hit.  He  fired,  and,  in  the  excitement,  popped  up  his  own 
head  to  see  if  he  had  hit  anything.  A  dozen  bullets  flew  at  him,  and 
one  struck  him  in  the  forehead  and  killed  him  instantly.  The  following 
night  two  men  crept  in  to  where  the  body  lay.  They  found  in  his 
pockets  the  cherished  letters.  That  was  all.  They  threw  a  few  shovels 
of  earth  over  the  dead  body ;  and  that  was  the  last  of  the  good-natured, 
affectionate,  unselfish,  friendless  Irish  boy,  Pat  Conolly.  There  was  no 
one  at  home  to  mourn  his  death.  I  shall  always  cherish  his  memory 
with  tender  affection. 


NOTE    E. 

Rodolphus  D.  Fish  was  with  the  regiment  on  the  expedition  to 
Jackson  Cross  Roads.  Being  sick  at  the  time,  he  was  ordered  into 
one  of  the  wagons,  and  carried  some  distance  by  the  panic-stricken 
colored  mule-driver.  While  waiting  for  the  regiment  to  come  up,  he 
and  others  were  taken  prisoners.  His  own  account  of  his  experience 
as  a  prisoner  is  as  follows  :  — 

"  Shortly  there  was  a  dire  commotion, —  a  volley  of  musketry, —  and 
we  were  prisoners,  rifled  of  our  belongings,  made  to  mount  the  teams  as 
drivers,  dash  through  an  opening  in  the  fence,  across  fields,  through 
streams.  We  finally  came  upon  a  road  running  northward.  Such  was 
the  haste  that  the  mules  must  not  drink  while  fording  the  stream ;  and 
thus  we  drove  till  near  midnight,  so  exhausted  that  in  slipping  from  the 
saddle  I  fell  on  the  ground  asleep,  and  lay  in  the  wet  sand  without  cov 
ering  till  daylight,  dreaming  of  the  springs  of  cool  water  in  Franklin 
County. 

"At  dawn  we  remounted,  and  about  noon  reached  their  camp  near 
Woodville,  Miss.,  having  been  shamefully  treated.  At  one  time  a  guard 
raised  his  carbine  and  threatened  to  shoot  me ;  but  God  kept  my  heart 
in  perfect  peace.  Here  we  were  more  carefully  searched,  losing  many 


Ix  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

valuables,  after  which  they  fed  us  with  sour  pone,  and  then  prepared  for 
an  early  start  on  Monday  for  Jackson.  During  the  night  I  got  an  ear 
of  corn  to  gnaw  upon.  At  early  dawn  some  fifty  of  us  were  hustled  into 
a  few  wagons,  and  the  third  day  reached  a  small  village,  thence  by  rail 
to  Jackson,  having  had  one  small  meal  a  day.  At  Jackson  we  were 
searched  again,  with  a  revolver  in  the  face.  Pockets,  stripes,  and 
linings  yielded  a  harvest  of  money  and  keepsakes,  my  watch  among 
the  rest.  Here  they  issued  dry  meal,  giving  no  facilities  for  cooking. 
Before  the  search  I  had  sent  a  black  boy  found  hanging  round  out  to 
secure  some  food,  giving  him  a  pocket-glass  for  pay.  After  three  hours 
he  returned  with  two  pones,  saying  he  got  fifty  cents  for  the  glass  and 
gave  the  whole  for  the  food,  which,  divided  between  the  boy  and  a  few 
men,  soon  disappeared. 

"  Leaving  Comrade  Dickinson  in  the  hospital,  the  day  following  we 
took  rail  for  Mobile,  being  treated  on  the  way  with  raw  bacon,  and 
assured  that  once  we  reached  the  city  they  would  serve  us  with  coffee, 
—  corn-meal  coffee.  Our  portion  here  was  a  fair  lunch  a  day  in  three 
pieces,  six  hours  apart. 

"The  fourth  day  our  number  increased  to  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
We  started  by  rail  for  Richmond,  passing  through  Montgomery,  Macon, 
Columbia,  and  on  the  fourth  day  reached  Raleigh,  N.C.,  where  they  fed 
us  with  four  hard-tack,  the  first  food  since  we  started,  although  each 
day  we  passed  through  cities  having  commissary  stores,  having  been 
twice  marched  to  the  doors  thereof  and  refused.  How  we  begged  to 
jump  from  the  box-cars  and  eat  the  luscious  dewberries  growing  pro 
fusely  by  the  track.  But  no ! 

"  From  Raleigh  we  slowly  steamed  away  to  Petersburg,  reaching  the 
city  at  dawn.  All  was  excitement.  One  of  our  army  divisions  was 
hovering  around  Richmond,  while  the  conflict  raged  at  Gettysburg  and 
the  railway  was  taxed  to  its  utmost  capacity  to  carry  every  boy  that 
could  hold  a  gun  to  the  defence  of  the  capital.  So  it  was  nearly  night 
when  we  were  taken  in  by  a  train  following  one  loaded  with  paroled 
Confederates.  Six  miles  out  of  Richmond  the  first  engine  exploded, 
injuring  many  poor  boys ;  and  we  marched  in  on  the  track,  and  were 
quartered  in  an  old  tobacco  warehouse,  opposite  Thunder  Castle. 

"  In  the  morning  the  authorities  searched  us  again  with  brutal  treat 
ment,  after  which  we  pinched  ourselves  to  see  if  the  bones  were  left. 

"To  our  astonishment  and  joy,  in  the  afternoon  we  were  herded  with 
some  fourteen  hundred  more  Yankee  prisoners  they  dare  not  keep  in 
the  city,  and  taken  in  and  on  box  and  platform  cars  to  City  Point  for 
parolement,  via  Lynchburg  and  Petersburg. 

"  Coming  around  the  curve  in  sight  of  the  dear  old  flag  on  the  steamer, 
and  the  stars  and  bars  on  the  bluff,  the  rebs  began  to  cheer,  and  the 
Yankee  skeletons  jumped  to  their  feet  and  three  times  drowned  their 
huzzas.  How  we  hustled  on  board !  and,  while  pushing  out  from  the 


NOTES  1x1 

wharf,  were  fed  each  with  half  of  a  large  loaf  of  nice,  clean,  white  bread, 
a  large  slice  of  ham,  and  a  cup  of  hot  coffee  that  was  coffee.  Down  I 
sat  upon  the  deck,  and  praised  God.  Did  anything  ever  look  or  taste  so 
good  ? 

"Taken  to  the  parole  camp  at  Annapolis,  clothed  in  new  garments, 
fed  two  weeks,  sent  home,  the  goodies  provided  all  the  way,  the 
happy  greetings  at  Greenfield,  Shelburne  Falls,  and  home,  and  the  thou 
sand  and  one  questions  about  the  regiment,  which  arrived  three  weeks 
later, —  these  you  must  imagine." 


NOTE    F. 

RESOLUTIONS    PASSED   BY   THE   SOPHOMORE    CLASS    OF    AMHERST 

COLLEGE. 

Whereas  our  beloved  friend  and  classmate,  Alfred  D wight  Clapp,  has 
been  removed  by  death, 

Resolved,  That  we  acknowledge  the  Infinite  Providence  in  this  afflic 
tion,  and  bow  in  submission  to  the  divine  will. 

Resolved,  That  we  mourn  the  loss  of  a  dear  friend  and  brother,  whose 
upright  and  honorable  character  won  for  him  our  respect  and  confidence. 

Resolved,  That  in  his  death,  occasioned  by  disease  contracted  in  the 
arduous  and  exhausting  duties  of  a  soldier's  life,  we  see  a  noble  life 
sacrificed  in  his  country's  cause. 


CAPT.   GEORGE    S.  BLISS. 

Capt.  George  S.  Bliss  was  born  in  Northampton,  Dec.  22,  1839.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Northampton,  and  from  the  earliest 
boyhood  gave  promise  of  a  noble  and  manly  character. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  enlisted,  June  21,  1861,  in  Co.  C, 
loth  Regiment,  and  served  with  that  noted  regiment  through  the  dreadful 
Peninsula  Campaign.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Yorktown,  Will- 
iamsburg,  Malvern  Hill,  and  Fair  Oaks,  where  he  was  slightly  wounded. 
He  was  strongly  attached  to  the  loth,  and  his  experience  there  did  much 
to  fit  him  for  the  position  he  afterward  held  as  captain  of  Co.  G,  52d 
Regiment.  In  consequence  of  his  wound  he  received  a  brief  furlough, 
and  came  home  to  Northampton.  At  that  time  Co.  G  was  "  in  search  for 
a  captain."  Capt.  Storrs  had  been  promoted  lieutenant  colonel.  His 
successor  was  mustered  out  of  service  while  the  regiment  was  at  Camp 


Ixil  HISTORY    OF    THE    520    REGIMENT 

Miller.  George  S.  Bliss,  a  sergeant  of  the  loth,  was  at  home,  and  was 
highly  recommended  to  fill  the  vacant  office  in  Co.  G,  and  was  immedi 
ately  chosen  captain.  He  resigned  his  place  in  the  loth,  and  was  com 
missioned  and  entered  upon  his  office  two  days  before  the  regiment  left 
for  the  front.  He  was  a  brave  and  skilful  officer,  kind  and  considerate 
for  his  men,  an  excellent  drill-master,  and  deeply  interested  in  the  well- 
being  of  any  man  under  his  command.  He  gained  the  respect  and  love 
of  every  one  in  his  company.  No  sacrifice  was  too  great  for  them  to 
make  for  him. 

On  the  i3th  of  June  he  said  to  his  company:  "We  are  going  into 
battle  in  the  morning.  Every  man  must  do  his  duty.  There  must  be 
no  skulking.  A  dead  soldier  is  better  than  a  living  coward."  On  the 
following  day,  while  leading  his  company,  he  received  a  wound  in  his 
breast,  which  resulted  in  his  death  on  the  i6th.  In  a  letter  written 
home  on  the  I3th  he  says:  "I  am  not  eager  to  see  the  fighting;  but,  if 
ordered  in,  I  shall  try  to  do  my  duty.  If  it  be  my  fate  to  fall,  be  assured 
you  shall  have  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  my  record."  In  his  death 
Co.  G  and  the  whole  regiment  lost  one  of  its  bravest  and  most  efficient 
officers. 


NOTE    G. 

Two  Bibles  were  sent  to  Col.  Greenleaf  at  the  time  the  regiment  was 
organized,  to  be  given  to  the  two  most  deserving  soldiers.  Just  before  the 
regiment  started  for  home  a  meeting  of  the  staff  was  held  to  dispose 
of  these  two  Bibles.  One  was  unanimously  voted  to  Edgar  G.  Pomeroy, 
of  Co.  G,  who  had  served  as  orderly  sergeant.  The  other  was  given  to 
James  K.  Hosmer,  of  the  Color  Guard,  for  his  valuable  services  as  nurse 
in  the  hospitals,  especially  at  Springfield  Landing. 


NOTE    H. 

Daniel  W.  Lyman,  of  Co.  K,  was  one  of  the  youngest  men  in  the  regi 
ment, —  a  few  months  more  than  eighteen  when  he  enlisted, —  a  native  of 
Easthampton.  He  was  a  frequent  correspondent  of  the  Northampton 
Gazette.  A  soldier  faithful  in  all  his  duties.  Worn  out  by  the  march 
from  Barre  Landing,  he  was  sent  to  a  hospital  in  New  Orleans,  and  so 
far  recovered  that  he  joined  his  regiment  shortly  before  the  assault  on 
Port  Hudson.  A  conscientious,  Christian  man,  constantly  grieved  that 
so  much  needless  work  was  put  upon  the  soldiers  on  Sunday,  and  that 
so  many  battles  were  fought  on  that  day.  In  an  extract  from  a  letter 


NOTES  Ixiii 

written  to  his  father  June  i6th,  he  is  told  that  "  Daniel  was  one  of 
the  victims  of  the  disastrous  assault  upon  the  rebel  works  made  last 
Sunday.  He  was  instantly  killed,  and  afterwards  buried  by  his  com 
rades  on  the  spot  where  he  fell.  Your  son  had  carried  himself  bravely 
and  manfully  in  this  campaign.  He  was  interested  in  all  that  was  done 
for  the  religious  welfare  of  the  regiment.  He  was  led  by  the  noblest 
sentiments  of  patriotism  to  devote  himself  to  this  cause,  and  you  may 
well  feel  that  he  is  a  sacrifice  which  you  have  laid  upon  the  altar  of  your 
country  and  your  God." 


List  of  Deaths  in  Fifty-Second  Regiment  Reported 
Since  Publication  of  History  in  J893* 


This  Record  brings  the  list  of  Deaths  up  to  January  i,  1904. 

FIELD    AND    STAFF. 

Clark,  Edwin  C.,  Quartermaster,  Northampton, 

May  10,  1898 

Moors,  Rev.  John  F., 

Chaplain,     Greenfield, 

Jan.  27,  1895 

Richardson,  Dr.  John 

H.                 Brattleboro,  Vt., 

July  23,  1902 

Sabin,  Dr.  Henry  M. 

Rockford,  111., 

April  29,  1896 

Sawyer,  Dr.  Frederic 

A.                  Wareham, 

1895 

COMPANY    A. 

Austin,  Thomas  N. 

Greenfield, 

Aug.  11,  1895 

Chase,  Loreii  P. 

Bernardston, 

June  7,  1899 

Grout,  Leonard  B. 

Bernardston, 

March,  1902 

Moody,  Warren  L. 

Gardner,  Kansas. 

Merriam,  George  V. 

Greenfield, 

June  6,  1902 

Park,  Frederick  Ralph                    Bernardston, 

Dec.  25,  1903 

Phillips,  Charles  C. 

Northampton, 

July  31,  1894 

Potter,  Rufus 

Greenfield, 

April  7,  1898 

Weatherhead,  Lucius 

M.                 Gill, 

Oct.  14,  1893 

COMPANY    B. 

A  very,  James  T. 

So.  Haven,  Mich., 

Jan.  27,  1896 

Bliss,  Abel  C. 

Stamford,  Vt., 

Sept.  6,  1894 

Brown,  Alonzo 

Holyoke, 

Nov.  6,  1892 

Brown,  J.  Franklin 

Zoar, 

Dec.  21,  1903 

Hamilton,  Charles 

Heath, 

May  30,  1898 

Hathaway,  Charles  H 

Leominster, 

Oct.  21,  1899 

Keyes,  Charles  L. 

Rowe, 

April  14,  1869 

Leavitt,  Edward 

Grand  Junction,  Col., 

Jan.  21,  1895 

McCloud,  Hiram  L. 

Colrain, 

June  15,  1900 

Merriani,  Foster  T. 

Paxton, 

Oct.  22,  1902 

Miner,  Samuel  A. 

Waterville,  Minn, 

March  2,  1901 

Moore,  Silas  H., 

West  Dover,  Vt., 

Aug.  21,  1895 

Nelson,  A.  P.,  Capt. 

Colrain, 

Jan.  6,  1898 

Robertson,  Albert  R. 

Winooski,  Vt., 

March  1,  1903 

Shattuck,  Ezra 

Leyden, 

Nov.  10,  1876 

Temple,  Henry  M. 

Heath, 

July  2,  1898 

White,  Amasa  A. 

Colrain, 

Oct.  26,  1877 

COMPANY  c. 

Clapp,  Frank  C. 

Northampton, 

March  21,  1899 

Clark,  Edwin  C.,  Lieut, 

Northampton, 

May  10.  1898 

Davis,  Richard  B. 

Chelsea, 

Aug.  21,  1902 

El  well,  Moses 

Northampton  . 

May  28,  1902 

Gould,  Nathan  P. 

Northampton, 

Sept.  20,  1893 

Hitchcock,  Lewis  H. 

Northampton, 

May  26,  1895 

Kellogg,  Levi 

Colorado  Springs, 

Col.,   May  25,  1890 

Lee,  Judson  L. 

Northampton, 

May  4,  1900 

Marsh,  Nelson, 

Bernardston, 

Aug.  17,  1900 

Pray,  J.  Parker 

Passaic,  N.  J., 

Jan.  19,  1898 

Ready,  Frank 

Northampton, 

Sept.  5,  1898 

Shaw,  Francis 

Northampton, 

May  12,  1893 

Spaulding,  M.  H.,  Capt. 

Northampton, 

May  21,  1893 

COMPANY    D. 

Ball,  Arthur  W. 

Deerfield, 

Sept.  14,  1901 

Belden,  Edward  M. 

Chelsea, 

Feb.  20,  1898 

Braman,  George  D.,  Musician.       Ashfield, 

Sept.  15,  1898 

Briggs,  Francis  W. 

In  the  Army, 

Aug.  11,  1864 

Costello,  Richard 

Deerfield, 

Dec.  6,  1894 

Crafts,  Luther  M. 

Whately, 

Oct.  30,  1902 

Crafts,  Suinner  W. 

Granby, 

March  27,  1900 

Edgerton,  Oliver  P.  ,  Lieut 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 

Feb.,  1900 

Hoyt,  Edward 

San  Francisco,  Cal 

.,  Jan.  or  Feb.  1897 

Longley,  Joseph  L. 

Northampton, 

Feb.  23,  1903 

Manning,  Patrick 

Boston, 

March  9,  1893 

Morton,  Edward  F. 

New  Orleans, 

March  9,  1863 

Richardson,  Edward  W. 

Williamsburg. 

April  16,  1897 

Richardson,  Oscar 

Ashfield, 

Dec.  29,  1896 

Smith,  Edward  E. 

Whately, 

Sept.  12,  1894 

Stearns,  Hiram  N. 

Deerfield. 

Aug.  25,  1893 

Stewart,  James  I. 

California, 

1864 

Stebbins,  Wellington  M. 

Springfield. 

Aug.  5,  1900 

COMPANY    E. 

Allen,  Ethan  H. 

Greenfield, 

April  13,  1878 

Black  well,  Maston  S. 

Bradford,  Ansel  K. 

Pittsfield, 

Oct.  6,  1897 

Clement,  Squiers  C. 

Ford,  Stephen 

Foster,  W.  H. 

Charlemont. 

May  7,  1902 

Howes,  John  L. 

Holyoke, 

March  29,  1899 

Joice,  Thomas 

Springfield, 

April  19,  1902 

Lilly,  Rufus 

Greenfield, 

May  26,  1902 

Little,  Samuel  A., 

Shelburne  Falls, 

Jan.  5,  1899 

Meekins,  Joseph  R. 

Buckland, 

Jan.  17,  1898 

Merrill,  Joseph 

Shelburne  Falls, 

Feb.  24,  1891 

Pittsinger,  John  A. 

Westfield, 

Nov.  16,  1902 

Thayer,  Alfred  C. 

Springfield, 

1898 

COMPANY    F. 


Stone,  Lucian  H.,  Capt. 

Orange, 

March  27,  1900 

Cleveland,  Charles  H. 

Worcester. 

Feb.,  1896 

Felton,  George  G. 

1901  or  1902 

Goddard,  Dennis 

Dudley, 

Aug.  18,  1901 

Greenhalgh,  Samuel 

Orange, 

Sept.  25,  1894 

Hunt,  Hobart  H. 

Chicago,  111., 

June  10,  1893 

Leach,  Humphrey  S. 

Worcester, 

Sept.,  1898 

Murdock,  Charles  A. 

Chatham,  N.  Y., 

July  14,  1894 

Merriam,  William  E. 

Montague, 

May  24,  1902 

Nash,  Edward  C. 

Northfield, 

Jan.  28,  1902 

Pierce,  Joseph  B. 

Northfield. 

Oct.  26,  1896 

Reynolds,  George  N. 

Lynn, 

Aug.  24,  1894 

Sawiii,  John  P. 

North  Adams, 

1894 

Slate,  Samuel  N. 

1901  or  1902 

Stearns,  Marshall  S.  ,  Lieut 

Northfield, 

Dec.  12,  1903 

Wakefield,  Salmon 

Amherst, 

Feb.  27,  1897 

Watson,  Gilman  N. 

Leverett, 

April  14,  1898 

Webster,  Asahel  M. 

Erving, 

March  17,  1902 

Wheeler,  Rufus  B.  P. 

Orange, 

March  14,  1896 

COMPANY    G. 

Barton,  George  H. 

Northampton, 

April  28,  1902 

Bell,  George  H. 

Carson  City,  Nevada, 

Jan.  24,  1901 

Burns,  Joseph 

Albany,  N.  Y., 

Feb.  20,  1902 

Callahan,  Jeremiah 

South  Boston, 

March  20,  1895 

Haling,  Horace 

Chelsea, 

Nov.  30,  1898 

Holden,  Freeman  L. 

Amherst, 

Sept.  9,  1874 

Howes,  Charles  C. 

Amherst. 

Dec.  25,  1892 

Hubbard,  Parker  D. 

Amherst, 

Aug.  9,  1895 

Johnson,  Silas  O. 

Amherst, 

Aug.  27,  1900 

Maloney,  Mike 

Amherst, 

Sept.  27,  1892 

Roberts,  George  H. 

Amherst, 

Dec.  6,  189;] 

Rolfe,  Edward  M. 

Northampton. 

Aug.  19,  1901 

Russell,  John  Wiley 

Amherst. 

Feb.  11,  1900 

Sanger,  Charles  H. 

Marlboro. 

Jan.  28,  1872 

White,  John 

Amherst, 

Aug.  13,  1900 

Witt,  Nelson 

Belchertown, 

Aug.  20,  1863 

Stowell,  Warren  M. 

Montague, 

March  10,  1903 

Warner,  James  R. 

White  Salmon,  Wash.  State 

,    Jan.  15,  1901 

COMPANY    H. 

Bates,  Henry  E. 

New  Orleans, 

Aug.,  1803 

Bridgman,  Malcolm,  Lieut 

Northampton, 

Nov.  6,  1893 

Clapp,  Eugene  M. 

Buffalo,  N.  Y., 

Oct.,  1901 

Dickinson,  Luther  W. 

Agawani, 

Aug.  21,1903 

Congdon,  William  E. 

Chicago, 

May  13,  1903 

Forsythe,  James 

Williamsburg, 

Aug.  18,  1901 

Gunderman,  Christopher 

Clinton, 

April  13,  1903 

Haskell,  Wilder  F. 

South  Hadley  Falls, 

Dec.  24,  1894 

Hooker,  Lewis  B. 

South  Hadley  Falls, 

Sept.  20,  1888 

Houlihan,  John 

Annapolis,  Md., 

March  20,  1865 

Hunt,  Edwin  N. 

Oakham, 

May  30,  1895 

Hunter,  Charles  W. 

Ainherst, 

June  6,  1898 

Perkins,  William,  Capt. 

Essex, 

May  25.  1897 

Smith,  Samuel  C. 

Graiiby, 

Nov.  12,  1894 

Smith,  William  A. 

Granby, 

March  11,  1898 

Suhanek,  Joseph 

Hartford,  Conn., 

July  19,  1894 

COMPANY    I. 

Adams,  Lewis 

Worthington, 

Nov.  4,  1894 

Adams,  William  D. 

Williamsburg, 

July  12,  1893 

Ames,  Oliver 

Huntington, 

March  18,  1903 

Baker,  Levi 

,       Chesterfield, 

Dec.  10,  1899 

Gillett,  Charles  M. 

Williamsburg, 

Jan.  4,  1903 

Hillman,  Jerome  E. 

Northampton, 

March  31,  1895 

Moore,  Francis 

Caldwell,  Idaho, 

April  28,  1898 

Porter,  Harlen  P. 

Chelsea, 

Dec.  29,  1896 

Potter,  Edward 

South  Deerfield, 

Nov.  18,  1897 

Potter,  Josiah  H. 

Northampton, 

May  30,  1893 

Reed,  William  L. 

Conway, 

Sept.  9,  1899 

Root,  Sylvester  F. 

Sidney,  Ohio, 

Oct.  6,  1901 

Spooner,  Nathan  A. 

Holyoke, 

March  1,  1896 

Taylor,  Daniel 

Plainfield, 

June  17,  1901 

Tilestoii,  Charles  E.,  Capt. 

Williamsburg, 

Sept.  19,  1902 

Winter,  George  L. 

Greenwich  Village, 

Oct.  3,  1901 

COMPANY    K. 

Alvord,  Whitney  F. 

Easthampton, 

Nov.  24,  1892 

Bissell,  Edwin  C.,  Capt. 

Chicago,  111., 

April  9,  1894 

Bartlett,  Alonzo  F. 

St.  Louis,  Mo., 

1892 

Bartlett,  Lyman  H. 

Enfield, 

Aug.  1,  1894 

Bartlett,  Horace  C. 

Westhampton, 

June  10,  1893 

Boehm.  Frank  L. 

Corning,  N.  Y., 

Dec.  31,  1889 

Brown,  Jeremiah 

Northampton, 

Nov.  2,  1896 

Burt,  George 

Westhampton, 

Dec.  14,  1901 

Clapp,  Horace  F. 

Westhampton, 

Msfy  31,  1895 

Clark,  Lewis  S. 

Easthampton, 

Jan.  21,  1897 

Clark,  Edmund  W. 

Northampton, 

March  15,  1890 

Cruse,  William 

Westhampton  , 

Feb.  24,  1900 

Davis,  Sylvester 

California, 

1902 

Pierce,  Stephen  W. 

Ashland, 

April  7,  1900 

Strong.  Marshall  D. 

Easthampton, 

May  7,  1897 

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